'Potential' to pollute a poor argument

A Washington State Supreme Court case has gained the attention and support of numerous agriculture organizations, including the Cattle Producers of Washington, as a Dayton-area rancher is challenging the Washington Department of Ecology’s attempt to take his land via pollution regulations.

Rancher Joe Lemire has 29 head of cattle that sometimes graze along Pataha Creek near Dayton in Columbia County. In 2009, the Department of Ecology (DOE) ordered Lemire to install permanent fencing along the creek to prevent his cows from allegedly “polluting” the stream. Lemire argued that fencing off the c...