The News Tribune endorses Herrera Beutler for lands commissioner | Opinion

Two strong candidates are vying to become the next state commissioner of public lands. Voters won’t go wrong with either, but on balance we recommend Jaime Herrera Beutler for her more-balanced vision for the job.

The commissioner of public lands heads the state Department of Natural Resources, which manages the public lands and waterways. That includes mitigating and fighting wildfires as well as preserving state lands for the future.

Both Herrera Beutler and her opponent, Dave Upthegrove, would do those things. In one of our best candidate interviews of the year, Herrera Beutler gave a bit more convincing answers on fire issues; Upthegrove on conservation. It was a lively and respectful conversation that reflected well on both of them.

Both are former state lawmakers. Herrera Beutler went on to serve in Congress, where she pushed bipartisan bills to address wildfires, and was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 riots. Upthegrove, a Democrat, is now a King County commissioner from the Seattle suburbs and holds a degree in environmental conservation.

Where they differ the most is in how they would manage almost 3 million acres of state trust lands. That’s land granted to the state by Congress more than a century ago for generating revenue in perpetuity. DNR does so with timber harvests, leasing space to ranchers and farmers, and leasing sites for communications towers and to energy companies. The money raised is a critical source of funding for K-12 schools.

Herrera Beutler has no plans to clearcut forests, but she would continue to allow sustainable natural resource extraction and uses that provide revenue. That, she points out, is the legal mandate. Where there are questions about best management practices, she said that she would defer to the scientific experts at DNR.

Upthegrove has more of an eye on preservation. He suggests setting aside some state trust lands for heightened protection. That would be fine if he could identify how he’d make up for the lost money. His hand waving on that point won’t fill the budget hole for schools.

Washingtonians and their public lands will benefit more from Herrera Beutler’s more-grounded perspective.

It’s too bad that two such strong candidates are in the same race. Voters must choose, though, and we recommend they elect Herrera Beutler and hope that Upthegrove runs for something else in the near future.

This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 9:17 AM.