Rep. Mary Dye statement on ‘Earth Day’ in Washington state
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Rep. Mary Dye statement on ‘Earth Day’ in Washington state
Rep. Mary Dye, ranking Republican on the House Environment and Energy Committee, released the following statement regarding Earth Day events in Washington state, including a visit to Seattle by President Joe Biden.
“While the president and Governor Inslee are using Earth Day for photo opportunities and media attention, I'm concerned they may be forgetting what really matters to the people of the state of Washington on this day.
“Washington's citizens want their forests to be healthy and well managed. They want us to have working forests that provide family wage jobs, and to invest in our timber communities that support the wood products industry. We know here in the Evergreen State that proper management, including harvesting of overgrown and dead trees, keeps our forests healthy and reduces the risk of explosive wildfires. And that healthy forests are the best, natural way to reduce carbon in our atmosphere.
“I'm concerned that state and federal policies to prohibit logging will lead to dangerous forests, more unharvested fuels, more wildfires which emit tons of carbon into our atmosphere, and will further hurt our timber communities, reduce jobs, and make lumber for housing even more expensive and unaffordable. That's not proper management of our forests and it's not the right direction for Washington state.
“In addition to healthy forests, Washingtonians also want a clean Puget Sound that protects salmon, solid strategies that prevent, respond and mitigate flood events, and they want a sustainable water supply that will carry our state and our agricultural industry through times of drought. These policies and real solutions were proposed through our Republican ORCA Plan earlier this year. That plan could have made an enormous difference to protect our families and communities from climate impacts. These issues really matter to Washingtonians on Earth Day. It's disappointing that the president and the governor have said nothing about these concerns of Washington citizens on the day set aside to talk about our most challenging environmental issues.”
