01/26/06 Farm Bureau files property initiative

01/26/06 Farm Bureau files property initiative

Washington Ag January 26, 2006 An initiative that would require state and local agencies to clearly identify how new regulations would affect property owners and their impact on land use and property values was filed with the Secretary of State's Office this week by the Washington Farm Bureau. Dan Wood, director of Government Relations for the Farm Bureau, says the filing provides the framework for a more detailed initiative that will be filed after the organization's board of directors meets early next month. He says the filing gets the initiative process started and allows the collection of signatures to begin sooner. In a previous interview, Wood summed up the intent of the initiative. Wood: "We want to require government to participate in voluntary cooperative conservation programs if they want environmental enhancements and secondly we want to tell them they cannot damage or use or value of property unless they are doing it to protect against actual harm." The bottom line says Wood is that government agencies need to respect individual property rights. He says broad government regulations have made it increasingly difficult for farmers and ranchers, and other property owners in Washington, to use and enjoy their land in reasonable ways. Farm Bureau will need to gather about 235-thousand signatures by July 7th to place the Property Fairness Initiative on the ballot in November. I'm Bob Hoff.
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