Washington Business Spring 2018 | Washington Business | Page 52

business backgrounder | economy
McGregor’s speech expanded on the challenges rural
communities face when attempting to create jobs, pay for
infrastructure and attract new investment. He has some
experience. His family business has worked hard planting
dryland crops since the territorial days, in an industry
challenged by weather, disease and international competition.
McGregor weaved in plenty of history in his remarks,
including a reference to an old pack trail that featured
guideboards to help travelers along the way. He used
that example when making recommendations for rural
Washington success:
educate
AWB started the conversation on rural job creation in March 2017
by hosting a one-day summit in Olympia and followed up with a two-
day event in Moses Lake last fall.
One result of the work is establishment of a Rural Jobs Task
Force made up of leaders from agriculture, telecommunications,
manufacturing, ports, economic development councils and other
sectors. The group elected McGregor to serve as its chairman.
AWB’s board adopted a rural jobs agenda in January, which features
goals that would give rural Washington a strong foundation for
success, including:
• Improve job creation, retention, and workforce development in
rural Washington;
• Lower the business and occupation tax rate for all manufacturers,
which would help rural businesses grow and expand;
• Support rural development and pass a permanent legislative fix to
the Supreme Court’s Hirst water decision;
• Support investments in infrastructure throughout the state and
provide greater certainty in permitting and environmental reviews;
• Improve access to capital in rural areas, and keep commitments to
the 2015 Connecting Washington transportation package; and,
• Expand broadband internet access in rural and unserved areas.
There’s been progress already. Lawmakers approved a Hirst fix
early in the 2018 legislative session, which was quickly signed into
law by Gov. Jay Inslee. The solution was spearheaded by Sen. Judy
Warnick, R-Moses Lake, with strong support from AWB.
Yet there’s more work to do, and the Rural Jobs Task Force plans to
meet throughout 2018.
“Rural Washington’s success is vital to the overall health and
success of our state’s economy,” AWB President Kris Johnson said.
“While job growth in the Puget Sound region is good news, it has not
extended to all of Washington. Our rural members have identified
several common-sense solutions that will help create more jobs in all
corners of the state. AWB is pleased to help start — and continue —
this conversation.”
52 association of washington business
We must educate Washingtonians about the value rural
areas bring to the state, he said. Crops, from wheat to
timber to potatoes, and jobs, from harvesting to marketing
and processing, make the natural resources sector the top
employer in the state, and the second largest exporter.
do no harm to rural washington
McGregor highlighted three policies that are already
impacting progress, or could do so in the future, in rural
communities.
First, he brought up the state Supreme Court’s Hirst
ruling, which has created delays and confusion over wells
and building permits in rural counties. If our kids wanted
to build a house on the family farm, McGregor asked, is a
hydrology study really necessary? Most counties don’t have
the resources to do that study, he added.
“The net result is to shoot down rural development,” he
said. “We can, we must do better than that.”
McGregor also said we should “think carefully” about a
carbon dioxide tax, noting the impact it would have on food
processing and other rural industries.
And third, the veto of a B&O tax relief bill sends a “we
don’t care” message to rural Washington.
cast a wide net
McGregor cited the Rebuild Rural Infrastructure Coalition,
a coalition of more than 200 organizations advocating
for infrastructure investment in rural communities. The
infrastructure needs of rural communities are unique,
“We’re in this for the long haul, and we
encourage our rural communities to get
involved.”
— Mike Ennis, AWB Government Affairs Director