Washington Farm Bureau Honors Ericksen, Taylor

The Washington Farm Bureau has honored two state lawmakers for their efforts to protect the farming industry in the state.  The Farm Bureau named Senator Doug Ericksen of Ferndale and Representative David Taylor of Moxee the  2018 legislators of the year.  The Farm Bureau said the two Republicans were selected for their commitment to protecting the state’s family farmers and ranchers and providing key leadership on issues critical to agriculture.

“There are a number of important legislators who we work with that understand the important contribution farmers and ranchers make in their local communities and to the state’s economy,” said Mike LaPlant, Farm Bureau’s state president. “During the 2018 legislative session these two legislators really stood out for the effective leadership and support they provided to the state’s second largest industry.”

“For two decades, Sen. Ericksen has been a leader defending landowners from unworkable environmental laws and overzealous regulators,” he said. “This year we are recognizing his efforts to defeat the passage of a carbon tax bill in the state Senate, and his support of the Hirst fix legislation.”

His work to defeat the destructive carbon tax bill, including his compelling arguments made during the committee debate on the bill, were effective and impactful, LaPlant said.

Rep. Taylor is a repeat recipient of this award, having just received it last year, LaPlant noted.

“Taylor clearly started off 2018 where he left off last year, and once again provided effective, significant leadership that helped lead to this year’s passage of the permanent fix to the Hirst water crisis created by the state Supreme Court’s Hirst decision,” LaPlant said. “He is really coming into his own and is a ‘Go To’ guy on the issues important to our industry.”

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