For Release NOT BEFORE 6/24/2002, 3 p.m.

Everett (June 24) -- Recapping several recent legislative and legal battles occupying the Washington State Grange dominated the yearly report given today by the organization's state president, Terry Hunt, at the group's 113^th annual convention being held this week in Everett.

The chief victory of the Grange this past year, Hunt said, was affirmation by the U.S. Federal District Court in March of the organization's position that Washington's historic blanket primary process is a constitutional one. The Grange ushered in the blanket primary back in 1934 and the group has been its most vocal supporter ever since. The U.S. court decision was rendered in answer to a lawsuit brought against the blanket primary by the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties. They have appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

"The blanket primary stands for the independence and free will of our citizens," Hunt told the large crowd of Grange delegates assembled at the Everett Civic Auditorium. "When the political parties try to manipulate the way we vote in our primaries, they make light of our chosen democratic system. We will continue to fight for the protection of voters' rights and privacy," he pledged.

Another Grange accomplishment touted by Hunt in his hour-long speech was receipt of a $320,560 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The purpose of the grant is to establish 20 public technology sites at Grange halls located in remote rural areas of the state. These sites will provide local residents with high speed access to the Internet without traveling long distances to other sites located in towns and cities. "This project will help us bridge that gap [between rural and urban communities] and help us learn how to effectively deliver technology resources to rural areas," Hunt said. "The Rural Access to Technology Project, as we call it, stands out as an example of what we can do at the local and State Grange level."

The Grange's high level of involvement in several legislative areas also was highlighted during the speech. The Grange has joined in a lawsuit to overturn the Department of Labor & Industries regulations designed to reduce repetitive motion injuries. Hunt quoted statements by experts supporting the lawsuit's contention that the rules are unnecessary and may actually make problems worse for workers. The Grange's concern is that the proposed rules would subject small farmers to costly studies and that these expenses would ultimately hurt those farmers and the consumers.

Hunt expressed the opinion that while the last session of the Legislature did pass a large piece of legislation on water policy, the bill did not go far enough to completely ease generations of problems that have been faced by the state's rural residents. Hunt did outline improvements in water law made by the bill but pledged that the Grange will continue "to emphasize improvements in Washington's water issues. We must keep the water flowing through our lands by making sure water rights laws are fair and effective."

Another recent problem that attracted Hunt's attention is the requirement imposed recently on private forest owners by the Department of Natural Resources for Road Maintenance and Abandonment Plans (RMAPs). Hunt feels the regulations that will require expensive upgrading of roads and culverts are an infringement on "property rights and privacy." He cited several legislators who are proposing the requirements be tied to timber harvested rather than acreage as a means of being more fair with landowners who may not be harvesting timber and thereby causing potential problems with runoff. Hunt called for a moratorium in implementing RMAPs until rules can be changed to protect landowners.

Voter-passed Initiative 713, the trapping initiative, was also addressed by Hunt in the speech. He noted that in the recent legislative session there was strong support for revising the measure so as to allow trapping of rodents and dangerous predators. However, that measure failed and Hunt called for prompt action next year. "I believe this dangerous and over-broad restriction on trapping must be addressed in the next legislative session," he said. "We can't let the emotional and unrealistic debates outweigh the concerns of landowners who depend on trapping for protection against predators and pests. Washington's voters were sold a bill of goods with I-713, and it must be amended quickly to prevent more harm to our families and livestock."

Hunt also called upon the Legislature to shun bills that mandate costly requirements on local governments without also providing the funds necessary for implementation of those mandates.

Regional and national issues drew Hunt's attention as well. In referring to the volatile national energy situation, he foresees continued problems until the nation becomes more self-reliant in providing for its energy needs. "Our nation is more dependent on imported energy than at any time in our history," Hunt told his Grange audience. "Price increases for all forms of energy threaten the viability of many farms and rural businesses. New programs to promote domestically produced, environmentally friendly energy from our nation's farms languish for lack of political leadership. Proven reserves of domestically available energy cannot be explored or developed. Cost effective and voluntary energy conservation programs are underfunded while environmentally marginal proposals to increase the regulatory burden on the agriculture, petroleum, electric utility, trucking and automobile industries will increase energy costs for everyone."

Some of the solutions Hunt proposed include increased use of environmentally friendly alternative fuels; opening of currently restricted areas for exploration and development of energy resources; and increased investment in voluntary energy conservation programs for farms, homes and rural businesses. The Grange, Hunt feels, must insist that Congress "consider rural areas when making energy decisions" because rural needs are often different than those in urban areas.

Other topics covered by Hunt included education, health care and the upcoming Referendum 51 on funding of state transportation projects.

The Washington State Grange was organized in 1889 to provide educational, social and legislative support for the state's rural citizens. The week-long convention in Everett is the organization's 113th annual session. There are approximately 50,000 Grange members in Washington and more than 300,000 across the United States.

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Note to editors: The Washington State Grange will maintain a press room in Everett throughout convention week, June 23-28. Feel free to call (425) 339-9392 or fax at (425) 339-9462. Terry Hunt's photo, biography and other information are available electronically at: www.wa-grange.org/news/mediakit.htm