MOSES LAKE – In the closing keynote at the Columbia Basin Development League's 60th anniversary conference, Congressman Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., emphasized the significance of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program in sustaining and enhancing the agricultural landscape of Central Washington.

Addressing an audience of legislators, staff and stakeholders, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the event. 

“Thank you for letting me be here with you. This is a very significant meeting, not only a milestone of 60 years, but a reflection of the progress we’ve made together,” Newhouse said. 

Dan Newhouse is up for reelection for Washington’s Fourth Congressional District and is facing Republican Jarrod Sessler. Sessler also attended the event, chatting with people and listening to various speakers. 

The event covered various topics including canals, municipal and industrial water, upper Columbia River fish passage efforts, the Canadian and American Columbia River Treaty, Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program and state and federal funding. There was also an award ceremony which will be covered in the November edition of the Basin Business Journal, the Columbia Basin Herald’s sister publication.  

During the closing speech, Newhouse underscored the Columbia Basin Project as more than just a series of irrigation practices; it is an essential component of the region’s economy, facilitating job creation and agricultural output.  

“In a district like Central Washington, 92% of over 7,000 farms are family farms,” Newhouse said. “Mine is a family farm. Looking out across the room, I see many family farms represented and that's where my priorities have been, is to do all I can to make sure family farms can continue to be successful. So, if our farms are going to grow, particularly in the Columbia Basin, they're going to prosper, they're going to need access to the Columbia River. The Columbia Basin Project is our future.” 

The congressman, who said he is a third-generation farmer, emphasized the agricultural industry's challenges and said the government must focus on policies to ensure regional farms survive. He said the government’s role is to provide opportunities for profitability while ensuring farms continue to operate. 

"We need to have policies in place as much as possible to keep costs low for producers, but also for consumers. We try to do a lot of things to accomplish that,” he said.  

A key point in his speech revolved around the upcoming Farm Bill negotiations, which Newhouse described as a “pretty darn good package” awaiting Senate priorities. 

“What we have does some of the things that I just talked about. (It) strengthens the safety net for producers,” Newhouse said. “It improves programs with a focus on access. It makes significant investments in something near and dear to most of us in the state of Washington. For those things that are categorized as specialty crops, providing over a billion dollars in programs to support research that allows us to be competitive in a very, very competitive rural market. And just let me say other countries, we want a level playing field, but we have to get on the field.” 

Turning to the contentious issue of hydroelectric dams, Newhouse defended the region's water resources amid ongoing debates regarding their future.  

“It should be no secret, my position on dams,” Newhouse said. “I'm passionate about our hydroelectric system. Like I told you before, other parts of the country are truly envious of the Pacific Northwest. And why shouldn't they be? The good Lord has given us a resource that is unique in the world.” 

Newhouse continued by saying there are ongoing efforts to breach the four lower Snake River dams. He said he has been told privately there is a movement to breach all the dams. He claims there are federal, state and local representatives who want a free-flowing river system without dams. 

“But, what can I say about that, other than we have to stand up for what we have, what makes us unique and drives our economy,” Newhouse said. 

Newhouse then said he is excited for the completion of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program, claiming it has been a goal for far too long.  

“The effort it takes to many of the people in this room, the effort truly has life, and I think it's going to become a reality,” Newhouse said. “The other thing, I hope that we can celebrate at the next milestone that some of the younger people that will be sitting in that room, 10, 15, 25 years from now, will only know groundwater pumping as something that they used to do. (It will) become a distant memory, and that surface water delivery will be throughout the basin.” 

He concluded on an optimistic note, expressing hope for the project’s future and reiterating the need for continued collaboration.  

“We have to persevere every single day, and that's why I can't express how important it is that the work you have done has been so important. Sixty years is absolutely something to celebrate,” Newhouse said. “We contribute a lot to the nation and to the world, right here in Central Washington. Our agricultural industry, it truly wouldn't be to the scale it is, it wouldn't be possible without things like the Columbia Basin Development League.” 

    Farmers, ranchers, business people and politicians, among others, gathered at Big Bend Community College Tuesday for the Columbia Basin Development League's 60th Annual Conference.