Newhouse talks water, ag

MOSES LAKE - Fourth District candidate Dan Newhouse is pitted against fellow Republican Clint Didier for Washington's Fourth District seat.

In May, Newhouse, a farmer from Sunnyside, announced his candidacy for the Fourth District position. In February, Republican Doc Hastings announced he was not going to run for re-election, leaving a vacant seat.

Since Hastings' announcement, 12 candidates expressed interest and announced they were going to run for the position. The primary election narrowed voters' choices down to the top two vote-getters, Newhouse and Didier.

Over the past couple of months, the two candidates have campaigned around the Fourth District, sharing their viewpoints and telling residents what they plan to bring to the position if elected.

In a phone interview with the Columbia Basin Herald, Newhouse detailed some of the most important platforms of his campaign.

The Didier campaign was not available for a phone interview before the CBH's deadline.

Newhouse, the former director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture and operator of a 600-acre farm in Sunnyside, said one of his biggest priorities is to continue to bring water into the Columbia Basin for irrigation and agriculture purposes.

"I would like to see a continued emphasis from the federal government, and others, to continue improvements to the Columbia Basin Project, so that we can continue to meet our ever growing need to feed the world. That is the kind of emphasis I will be working hard on," said Newhouse.

Newhouse also stated he has been working since 2005 on the Odessa Aquifer surface water project, which if approved by the Bureau of Reclamation would bring surface water from the East Low Canal to pieces of land north and south of Interstate 90.

The proposal is to construct a system of pressurized pipes, which would bring surface irrigation water to about 70,000 acres of land in the Odessa subarea. The project currently has financial backing by private investors, the only hang up is the Bureau of Reclamation approving the proposal.

Newhouse said he has been working on the project for years, and has heard frustrations from farmers who are concerned about not being able to have irrigation for their crops in the near future.

"I think having my understanding of the issue will help to bring the case to the federal government, to the bureau, that this has to happen as soon as possible," said Newhouse, "There is so much at stake here, our economy, our way of life in the Columbia Basin, and our ability to keep those processors in our area. We have a consistence via water that can allow farmers to produce the kinds of things that they are looking for. So it is essential that we move as quickly as possible."

One issue which Newhouse and Didier disagree on, is the role of the federal government in healthcare.

At a political debate in Othello on Sept. 29, Didier suggested defunding and repealing the Affordable Care Act. He stated there were other ways to fix the healthcare system than the federal government getting involved, and said the solution was to go back to free enterprise and the private sector as a solution.

Newhouse believes the federal government does have a role in healthcare. He stated the federal government is already involved in the Veterans Administration, providing healthcare to veterans, and it is also involved in Medicare, for many people in the Fourth District.

"I think the federal government has a role in essentially setting the table, creating the environment for a healthcare system to work in this country," said Newhouse, "The government definitely has a role there in passing laws and rules to allow a system to work in this country. I thinks that's the government's role, to create that environment to allow a system to happen, then get out of the way and let it happen."

Newhouse said after speaking to numerous residents throughout the Fourth District, the Affordable Care Act is, for the most part, not something that people are looking for.

He stated he will work to finding solutions to control costs, and giving people the power to decide the kind of coverage they want and need.

Newhouse also stated he is not in favor of the "top down" approach of the Common Core Standards Initiative. The CCSI, is a set of academic standards in math and English language arts, which highlight what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade they finish, according www.corestandards.org. Instead of a national standard, Newhouse said he is in favor of a more localized approach to the program.

"I think our local school districts, our parents, our teachers, the schools themselves, know better what is important to each of our student's future," said Newhouse.

Newhouse also urged voters throughout the Fourth District to vote before the Nov. 4 election deadline.