WACD testimony on HB 1147 concerning the capital budget

On Thursday, January 12, 2023, WACD waited two hours to be called to testify before the House Capital Budget Committee on House Bill 1147 concerning the Governor’s capital budget appropriations.

The Committee faced an overwhelming number of in-person and online commenters. Since WACD was not called to testify before the end of the public hearing, the one-minute comment prepared for the hearing was submitted as written testimony so that our support for conservation-related capital budget appropriations would be in the record.

Download a summary of the Governor’s proposed budget items that affect the Conservation Commission and conservation districts: 23-25 Op Cap Budgets Gov proposed Dec 2022 FINAL (source: Washington State Conservation Commission).

Testimony (provided in writing)

The testimony provided to the Committee is shown below:

Good afternoon, Chair Tharinger and committee members. My name is Tom Salzer and as Executive Director of the Washington Association of Conservation Districts, I am representing all 45 conservation districts in Washington. Today I speak in support of the Governor’s proposed 2023-25 capital budget in House Bill 1147.

 

WACD appreciates all of the conservation-related capital budget items but we are particularly pleased with the 100-million-dollar investment in voluntary riparian grants, and with funding for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. CREP is a very cost-effective, high-impact investment for the State because every State dollar captures an additional four federal dollars in federal match. WACD encourages you to prioritize these investments as well.

 

Washington’s conservation districts look forward to your continued support of voluntary conservation programs that ultimately benefit all Washingtonians. Thank you.

Contact WACD

Should you have comments or concerns, please share them with our Olympia staff at oly@wacd.org.