Inslee denies drought emergency request

RITZVILLE -Gov. Jay Inslee is refusing requests to declare a drought emergency in the state.

Washington Association of Wheat Growers President Ryan Poe and Washington Grain Commission Chairman Mike Carstensen requested the emergency drought declaration June 15 in a letter to the governor.

A drought emergency declaration would give affected farmers access to additional governmental resources.

"As the extremely hot temperatures have reminded us, much of Eastern Washington - including our wheat-growing regions - is in the middle of a drought," Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said July 1 in resp...