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Sep te mbe r 9, 2016 VITICULTURE SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE THIS ISSUE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 VOLUME 89, NUMBER 37 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 ELECTION 2016 LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS Immigration, labor toughest political issues facing many in agriculture DONALD TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION HILLARY CLINTON ON IMMIGRATION • Build a wall to keep illegal immi- grants, crime and drugs out. • Deport criminal illegal immi- grants and deport or self-deport the rest; good illegal immigrants can apply to get back in legally. • Reform must improve jobs, wages and security for all Ameri- cans. • Triple the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. • Adopt E-Verify, the electronic verification of employment eligibility. • Cut off all federal grants to sanctuary cities. • Penalize people who overstay visas. • End birthright citizenship of ille- gal immigrants. • ICE officers will accompany lo- cal law enforcement in raids of vio- lent street gangs. • Control the admission of new low-earning workers to help wages grow and ensure that immigrants become part of the American dream. • Extreme vetting for suspected terrorists. www.donaldjtrump.com/posi- tions/immigration-reform • Comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to full citizenship. • Deport criminals and those posing a violent threat to public safety. • Expand by executive order deportation deferrals and legal work status for illegal im- migrants if Congress doesn’t act. President Barack Obama tried this and it was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. • End three- and 10-year bar rules re- quiring illegal immigrants who leave the country to get green cards from having to wait three to 10 years to get back in. • End family detention for parents and children who arrive at U.S. borders in des- perate situations and close private immi- grant detention centers. • Extend Obamacare to illegal immi- grants. • Like Obama, not favorable to guest- worker programs because organized la- bor opposes them. • Expand fee waivers to alleviate nat- uralization costs, increase access to lan- guage programs to encourage English profi ciency and increase outreach and education to help more people navigate the process. www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/immi- gration-reform/ Dan Wheat/Capital Press Scott McDougall, co-president of McDougall & Sons Inc., stands in his new 570-acre Legacy Orchard near East Wenatchee, Wash., on Sept. 1. His housing in the background provides 144 beds for H-2A-visa foreign guestworkers. By DAN WHEAT Capital Press W supply of seasonal farmworkers for tending and picking ENATCHEE, Wash. — Scott Mc- fruits and vegetables. It’s hard, physical outdoor work Dougall isn’t a fan of Hillary Clinton that most Americans just don’t want to do, even at wages or Donald Trump, but he thinks the as high as $20 an hour. Republi- Legal work status for il- “Everyone talks about a $15 can presidential nominee will legal immigrants who are be better for agriculture on the workers with no crim- (per hour) minimum wage but good issue of immigration. inal records and improving it’s kind of mind-boggling to or replacing the H-2A-visa McDougall, 63, and his brother Stuart, 67, are co-pres- so it’s easier to hire realize tree fruit is paying $20 program idents of McDougall & Sons foreign seasonal guestwork- and no one wants to do it.” Inc., a mid-sized Washing- ers are the top two items of ton tree fruit company in concern. Scott McDougall, co-president Wenatchee that they started 40 Employers also worry that of McDougall & Sons Inc. years ago with their late father, without solving those prob- Robert. lems fi rst requiring them to use the E-Verify system for For labor-intensive agriculture such as tree fruits the electronic verifi cation of employment eligibility alone key concern in immigration reform is increasing the Turn to LABOR, Page 12 Dairies oppose Ecology proposal Judge rules against Idaho irrigators Federation seeks changes in CAFO rules before they take eff ect By DON JENKINS Capital Press In comments made public Sept. 6, the Washington State Dairy Federation challenges the economics, science and legal authority underpinning new manure-handling rules proposed by the Department of Ecology. on fl ood control accounting practice By SEAN ELLIS Ecology’s proposal would require as many as 300 of the state’s 400 dair- ies to obtain an Ecology-is- sued permit. The permit could benefit dairies by forestalling gov- ernment fines and citizen lawsuits, but the conditions would be too costly, doom some farms and actually degrade the environment as producers sell out to devel- opers, the federation states. The federation’s policy director, Jay Gordon, said he hopes Ecology will re- vise the proposal before fi- nalizing it by the end of the year. Some dairies need a per- mit, but new restrictions on where and when they could spread manure on fields would lead to huge losses and expenses, he said. “We’re stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea,” Gordon said. “If they don’t make changes, get your gun out and shoot us now.” Ecology says the rules are needed to prevent or minimize the release of ma- nure into groundwater and waterways. The permit will set down rules to protect water quality, according to the department. Ecology received 4,534 comments on the proposal — contained in revisions to the state’s concentrated animal feeding operation permit, though 4,267 were form letters from environ- mental groups urging strict- er regulation of dairies. Many dairy farmers told Ecology they were worried about staying in business. Turn to CAFO, Page 12 Capital Press BOISE — Treasure Valley irrigators are assessing their options after a judge ruled that water released from Boise Riv- er reservoirs for fl ood control can be counted against their storage water rights. Judge Eric Wildman, pre- siding judge of the Snake Riv- er Basin Adjudication Court, overturned a special court master’s 2015 ruling that the state can’t count fl ood control releases against the reservoir storage rights of water right holders. Roger Batt, executive direc- tor of the Treasure Valley Water Users Association, which rep- resents 300,000 irrigated acres, said irrigators respectfully dis- agree with Wildman. Because fl ood control re- leases occur in the winter, when the water isn’t available to Capital Press File Water is stored in the Lucky Peak Reservoir. A judge has sided with the Idaho Department of Water Resources against Treasure Valley irrigators over fl ood control releases from Boise River farmers and other irrigators, the water right holders never get a chance to put it to benefi cial use, he said. “That’s water we can’t use because it’s released during a period of time when it can’t be captured and be used on farms or somebody’s lawn,” Batt said. “We don’t understand how wa- ter can be counted against us if we were never able to use it.” Turn to FLOOD, Page 12
