Rural communities have finally been heard on grizzly bear decision

The proposal to introduce grizzly bears into the North Cascades Ecosystem has been looming over the communities of Central Washington since I was elected to Congress. I have worked with officials in the past two Administrations to ensure that all aspects of this proposal – and all effects of the decision to introduce another apex predator into our rural, agricultural communities – were considered before a final decision was issued.

Our public lands, including the North Cascades, are critical to our region – for species conservation, enjoyment and recreation, and for our water supply and agriculture industry. The introduction of grizzly bears would upset our ecosystem and cause undue hardships on agriculture producers, businesses, and families. This is the message I have heard and echoed from the rural communities across our district.

On July 7, I was proud to welcome U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to Omak, Washington, where he announced that the Department had come to a decision: No grizzly bears will be introduced into the North Cascades.

The announcement came at a roundtable I hosted with local community members, regional stakeholders, and local elected officials, where both surprise and gratitude were expressed to the Secretary, who traveled to Central Washington to deliver the news in person.

Perhaps more important than the outcome of the decision is the fact that the Department of the Interior has demonstrated to our local rural communities that their voices matter.

Federal public comment periods are extremely important to the rulemaking process, as it works to ensure the regulations and statutes created or altered by federal agencies are done with the affected populations in mind.

For decades, my constituents in Central Washington have felt ignored. Online public comment periods flooded by outside interest groups or people from unaffected areas have often proven to outweigh the comments from people who would be directly affected by these decisions.

I share this same concern. The grizzly bear proposal was initially brought up in 2015 by the Obama Administration. Since then, our local Central Washington communities have largely felt ignored by the federal government.

That is why I urged Secretary Bernhardt to host an in-person public comment session to hear directly from the community members, business owners, and recreationalists who live and work in and around the North Cascades. The Secretary agreed, and in October of last year, the Department of the Interior hosted a public meeting with over 600 attendees. I was there to express my opposition to the proposal, which was echoed by the majority of those in attendance.

Following this meeting and the closure of the public comment period, the Department analyzed the individual and unique comments submitted. They came to the conclusion that the introduction of grizzly was not necessary for species recovery, and the proposal will not be pursued further at this time.

Chelan County Commissioner Doug England remarked, “It is refreshing to have a government agency listen to the concerns of those who actually live here.” Commissioner England is exactly right, and he has expressed the sentiment of many in Central Washington who have felt their voices have been silenced for far too long. I am hopeful under the leadership of Secretary Bernhardt, the Trump Administration will continue to listen to our voices, hear our concerns, and act with the interests of affected communities in mind.

We must continue to hold the federal government accountable, as we have already seen outcries from upset special interest groups urging the Department to reconsider its decision. But I am optimistic this could be a small glimpse of a new era within the federal government, where rural communities truly feel they are being listened to.

This decision by Interior – based on years of scientific research and thousands of public comments from concerned community members – is a step forward for our communities who finally feel they have been heard.