The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

[Editor's note: The following are excerpts from newspapers around the Pacific Northwest about Washington Governor Jay Inslee's recent move, which effectively blocked inspection of grain at the Port of Vancouver.]

hellip;just as Washington's wheat harvest and export season move into full swing, Gov. Jay Inslee made a decision that effectively has shut down one of the most important export terminals on the West Coast and threatens the market share of the grain-growing industry from here to the Midwesthellip;

hellip;Two weeks ago, Inslee canceled Washington State Patrol protection for grain inspectors who had been crossing a picket line at the busy terminal at the Port of Vancouver. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union has been locked out since early 2013, and the United Grain terminal, one of the largest ship-loading facilities on the West Coast, has found nonunion workers to fill its 44 positions. But without police protection, the state Department of Agriculture won't send grain inspectors. And without grain inspectors, the wheat can't get throughhellip;

hellip;Wheat is to Eastern Washington what Boeing is in the West. Agriculture deserves the same level of respect from its state government. ~Seattle Times Editorial

Inslee, who was elected in part because of strong support from a variety of unions, has turned a tenuous situation into an unworkable one for the benefit of the ILWU. And in the process he has allowed intimidation tactics to give the union the upper hand. ~Vancouver Columbian Editorial

Closure of the Port of Vancouver grain elevators not only threatens to interrupt export of Washington's $1 billion crop, national farm groups are warning that the unprecedented breakdown of inspection activities at the port could endanger foreign buyer confidence in the reliability and integrity of the U.S. inspection system. ~Spokane Spokesman Review Editorial

Inslee needs to put the interests of the entire state - Eastern and Western Washington - ahead of politics and a labor dispute. The state needs to find a way to get the labor issues resolved or resume providing security for grain inspectors. ~Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Editorial

By taking his action just weeks before the start of the annual wheat harvest, Inslee has pushed the stakes too high. Wheat is to eastern Washington and Oregon what Intel and Nike are to the Portland area or what Microsoft and Boeing are to the Seattle area - the economic foundation of the region. hellip;It's time to harvest wheat and to harvest a new labor agreement. And it's the wrong time for the governor to be involved. ~Portland Oregonian Editorial

The grain terminal has the largest capacity of any in the West, and it is responsible for nearly 20 percent of the exports from the Pacific Coast. All grain farmers stand to lose because of market disruption. Lower commodity prices may be the result. If Inslee's decision boosts "working people," as the state Labor Council argues, they aren't many of them. The union staffs 44 positions. Meanwhile, he creates hardship for many, many more hardworking farm families across the United States and for an entire farm economy that depends on the smooth flow of exports. ~Another Seattle Times Editorial