Goldmark: End abuse of public lands

Earlier this week, Lands Commissioner candidate Peter Goldmark unveiled a dramatic visual showing the tremendous damage that can be caused through the complete mismanagement of our forests:


Photo courtesy of Peter Goldmark for Lands Commissioner

The particular image above shows an area in Lewis County that was damaged in last winter's devastating floods. Notice the line of trees that mark the boundary where the healthy hillside ends and the destroyed part begins. It's scenes like this that remind the candidate why he's running for office. As Peter explains:

Under the direction of the incumbent [Republican Doug Sutherland], agency personnel acted against state rules designed to balance harvest goals with protecting property, public safety, and our natural resources.

How much more damage will be caused in the next four years?

How many more of our neighbors will be made vulnerable?

Once elected, I will enforce the existing state rules written to protect our neighbors' homes, property and safety. It is critical that Washington voters elect a Lands Commissioner with a commitment to long-term sustainability-for school revenues, jobs, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and ecological protection.

Many people forget that the executive branch of Washington State is managed by several different elected officials - not just the Governor. The Governor is the leader with the highest profile, of course, but Chris Gregoire shares executive authority with several other people. They are:

• Republican Rob McKenna, Attorney General (opposed by John Ladenburg)
  
• Republican Sam Reed, Secretary of State
  
• Democrat Brian Sonntag, State Auditor
  
• Democrat Mike Murphy, State Treasurer (Jim McIntire wants to succeed him)
  
• Democrat Mike Kreidler, Insurance Commissioner
  
• Terry Bergeson, Superintendent of Public Instruction (nonpartisan office)
  

Finally, there's the Commissioner of Public Lands. The incumbent is Doug Sutherland, a Republican who is at the beck and call of the timber industry and other special interests.

The office of Lands Commissioner is an incredibly important and powerful position. It's not advisory - the Lands Commissioner directly manages the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) a huge division of the state government DNR is responsible for overseeing over 5.5 million acres of state forests, aquatic resources, wilderness, and agricultural lands. That's an astonishing 8,593.75 square miles - more than eight times the size of Rhode Island! In addition, DNR's biennial budget is approximately $400 million dollars. That means in four years (the length of one term of office) DNR spends close to $1 billion dollars - a huge amount of money.

Among DNR's many subdivisions are the state's largest fire department, which fights forest fires, and the geology & earth resources service, which regulates surface mine and metal mine reclamation, oil and gas drilling, gas storage, geothermal drilling, and underground fluids injection. DNR also has authority over state trust lands, which generate revenues that are used to pay school and university construction costs.

DNR's primary objective is supposed to be environmental protection. Unfortunately, under Sutherland, "caring for your natural resources" is merely a slogan and a public relations front, because Sutherland answers to his very good friends at Glacier Northwest (a subsidiary of Taiheyo Cement), Forest Capital Partners of Boston, Massachusetts, Sierra Pacific Industries of California, Bennett Lumber Products of Idaho, Plum Creek Timber Company of Montana, and many others, including Weyerhaeuser, the BIAW, the Realtors, and the Asphalt Paving Association in-state. All have previously contributed to Sutherland's campaign coffers, and all are deeply interested in affecting DNR's policies.

We have a choice this November between a member of the good ol' boys club and an honest environmental steward who respects the land and values our common wealth. Peter Goldmark is a lifelong Okanogan rancher, a longtime rural school board member, a former regent of Washington State University, and former Director of Agriculture who will bring incredible experience and wisdom to the Department of Natural Resources as Lands Commissioner.

Peter understands Washington, both East and West, and can be counted upon to ensure that DNR truly carries out its mission and serves the people of Washington State...not massive corporations who stand to profit from abuse of our public lands.