Buys: Hirst Decision Not About Protecting Water Rights, But Limiting Growth

Republicans in the Washington House said they are frustrated that Judy Warnick’s Hirst Fix died in House committee.  Representative Vincent Buys, the ranking Republican on the House Ag Committee, told the Washington Ag Network many house Democrats do not want the kind of development that would take place under a Hirst Fix.

“We hear a lot of discussion, about, ‘well, this is about fish, this is about in stream flows that’s the last thing this bill is about the forefront is about limiting growth.”

Buys said don’t believe supporters of Hirst when they claim the court ruling was about saving senior agriculture water rights.

“We’re hearing from the Farm Bureau that all of our agriculture groups, no one is concerned within our agriculture groups, especially those with senior water rights, we’re not hearing anything from them as far as they’re concerned, but it’s coming from the people who live in Seattle, in the cities saying ‘well, we’re concerned about senior water rights’, we’ll, no you’re not.”

Buys said it’s important that a Hirst fix is approved this session.  And he added he things some legislation addressing October’s water ruling will pass this session.

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