County to look at impacts on watershed

Whitman County must soon decide how it wants to regulate agriculture around environmentally sensitive areas.

County Planner Alan Thomson Monday told commissioners they have until Jan. 22 to decide if the county will join a new program - dubbed “Ruckelshaus” after the Ruckelshaus Center that facilitated its creation - to regulate agricultural impacts on wetlands, watersheds, wildlife habitat and steep slopes.

If not, the county must address agricultural impacts in its critical areas ordinance.

County code does not currently regulate agriculture around critical areas.

Thomson said joining the Ruckelshaus program would allow the county to head off potential lawsuits from farmers and environmentalists that have riddled some local governments around the state.

“I’m not real anxious to start a new bureaucracy,” said Commissioner Michael Largent.

Ruckelshaus created a “voluntary stewardship program” which would bring farmers, tribes, environmental groups, conservation districts and county government together to work on ways to protect sensitive environments and agricultural practices.

“It’s really unprecedented in this state and the nation to bring these groups together to work things out outside a courtroom,” said Dan Wood, director of local affairs for the Washington State Farm Bureau. “It’s now safe for ag to come to the table.”

If the county does not opt to join Ruckelshaus, it would have to rewrite the county’s critical areas ordinance with specific rules for farming near those sensitive spots by July 22, 2013.

The county planning commission is currently updating the critical areas ordinance to satisfy state requirements the law be updated by Jan. 1, 2013.

Commissioners said they need more information on the pros and cons of joining the program before making a decision.

“I’ve got some real concerns with opting in,” said Commissioner Greg Partch. “I don’t trust the state with anything.”

One of the concerns expressed by both Partch and Largent is the cost of operating a new environmental management board. They noted the Ruckelshaus law does not require the state to fund the leadership board.

Wood said the Ruckelshaus rules gives the county a protection from law suits.

Farm Bureau representatives will be in Colfax next week to speak to commissioners and planning staff on the Ruckelshaus rules.

Under Ruckelshaus, the new board would have three years to identify what environmental hazards exist within its jurisdiction, and to create voluntary programs to fix those hazards.

Once in, farmers and the county could not be sued for the impacts of agriculture on the environment.

However, once in, the group must show to the satisfaction of state officials that it has implemented projects that do address environmental concerns.

Implementing said projects, said Thomson, would likely be assisted by local conservation districts and federal farm agencies.