Are CCA Dollars Being Used To Spread An Anti-Farmer Message?

Are funds collected through Washington’s Climate Commitment Act being used to produce videos and messages that are anti-farmer?

Save Family Farming says dollars from the fund have gone to Yakima-based We Are ELLA, which were used to push “misleading and outright false accusations against farmers”.

DOH Logo Used In Propaganda Videos

Ben Tindall, Executive Director of Save Family Farming says these videos include the state Department of Health logo (Video 1, Video 2), insinuating the content was coming from the state of Washington.  He added DOH recently confirmed in had awarded $500,000 to We Are Ella.

Tindall said the state has blurred the lines between sponsorship and supporting this form of “community storytelling”.

“How is CCA dollars being distributed? How is it being regulated? How are you ensuring that the money is being used correctly? And really, as far as agriculture is concerned, how can farmers be confident that the money that they are unfortunately being forced to pay at the pump for the fuel that they're using for on-farm purposes not being used as simply to be weaponized against them.”

Farmers Are The First Environmentalists

We Are ELLA describes itself as a Latina-led social justice organization focused on advocacy and leadership development.

Tindall noted many of the videos the organization produced blamed water and air quality problems in the Yakima Valley on the region’s farming community.

“Farmers have been called the first environmentalists, that they are the ones whose livelihoods depend on a strong, healthy, viable environment, strong soil, good, healthy water conditions, etc. That is vital to them," Tindall pointed out.  "Let farmers have a voice in this.  Let them have a say, let's work together. Let's build bridges and let's see a positive future for agriculture as well as the rest of the state.”

Tindall said the Washington legislature needs to intervene and change the current process to ensure CCA fuel surcharge dollars are actually being used to benefit the environment.

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