Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Congresswoman delivers message to visiting Biden
SEATTLE – President Joe Biden visited Seattle and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers had a message for him.
“I wanted to draw your attention to the environmental devastation caused by the continued pollution of Puget Sound and the inhumane living conditions in downtown Seattle,” wrote McMorris Rodgers.
The 5th District Republican representative wrote Biden before he arrived in Seattle on Earth Day, April 22, to present some environmental problems for him to consider while he visited Seattle.
Rodgers urged the president to see firsthand the damage of the dumping of raw sewage into critically endangered salmon and orca populations, Puget Sound.
“As you’ll see if you visit, Puget Sound is in crisis. The salmon in Puget Sound — which are most critical to the orcas — are in crisis. Still, the city of Seattle continues to allow the dumping of millions of gallons of raw sewage into Puget Sound each year,” wrote McMorris Rodgers. “Governor Jay Inslee has considered allowing 58 sewage treatment plants to continue illegally dumping toxins into the Sound.”
She highlighted the role the four Lower Snake River dams in Eastern Washington play in providing clean, reliable, renewable, and affordable energy to the Pacific Northwest while helping the United States reduce carbon emissions.
“Governor Jay Inslee and many in the environmental community have focused their efforts on targeting the four Lower Snake River dams on the eastern side of the state, which provide the Pacific Northwest with clean, reliable, renewable, and affordable energy,” she wrote. “I would also encourage you to learn more about the immense benefits the Snake River dams and our entire river system provide for our state and region.”
McMorris Rodgers said the president should see how progressive policies have resulted in rampant drug abuse and a dangerous surge in violent crime.
“I encourage you to visit downtown Seattle … If you do, you will see how homelessness has taken over with tent cities popping up everywhere, serving as ground zero for rampant drug abuse and violent crime, devastating community safety and the ability of small businesses to remain open,” wrote McMorris Rodgers.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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