Hawkins: How to Help

If you are upset over the Department of Ecology's denial of the surface water rights transfer to the proposed Hawkins Companies retail development in the corridor, authoratative sources tell me that writing a letter to Ecology would be useful.

Send letters to:

Keith Stoffel
Department of Ecology
Eastern Region Office
4601 North Monroe Street
Spokane, WA 99205-1295

As far as what to say, I would tell Mr. Stoffel just how much you support the Hawkins development, and how important it is to Whitman County, which loses some $150 million a year in taxable retail sales to surrounding areas. The Hawkins development could conservatively generate some $3.3 million a year in sales tax revenue for the county. Whitman County, outside of Pullman, is losing population and the enrollment in the schools is declining. That means money will decline. Revenue from Hawkins would be a shot in the arm for all sorts of vital county services such as schools, fire, sheriff, a new jail, etc.

You can also bring up some of the points that Don Brunell, president of the Association of Washington Business made about regulatory relief for border counties and loss of business to more business-friendly neighbors across the state line. It's insanely unfair that we are held to environmental standards that are intended for a geologically, biologically, and climatically different part of the state west of the Cascades.

Will letters to Ecology change anything? I don't know. But you can be mad and do nothing, or you can be mad and write a letter.