OLYMPIA, Wash. – Former US Representative Jamie Herrera Beutler (R) is running for Washington Commissioner of Public Lands. Her vision for the role could change the way the state handles natural resources.
Herrera Beutler is a unique figure in her party. She lost her reelection campaign for Congress in 2022 after she joined a small cohort of Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan 6 insurrection.
She is also well-known for arguing that forests around Washington are under-managed, leading to an increase in wildfires.
“I think that too many of our forests are under-managed or outright neglected and are turning into crowded, diseased tinder-boxes that are waiting for a spark. I don’t want to leave my kiddos a legacy of burning forests and choking smoke,” Herrera Beutler said.
Herrera Beutler’s campaign platform differs from other candidates contending for the position by emphasizing ecological management with a focus on removing dead vegetation that could become fuel for wildfires.
“If you look at the whole health of the forest it means that you’re going to pull some of those trees out, you’re going to create a diverse age class, you’re going to remove dead and diseased trees so they aren’t tinder for burning. When you do that, you create a healthier forest…and those healthier forests are more fire resilient” Herrera Beutler said.
Governor Jay Inslee (D) and current Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz (D) have emphasized reducing carbon emissions to address the climate emergency. Herrera Beutler acknowledged the impact of climate change on increasingly devastating wildfires throughout the Evergreen State but emphasized balancing carbon reduction efforts with the needs of state businesses.
“What people will tell you…is that they want to reduce the amount of carbon that we’re dumping into the air. I think most of us can say, ‘yeah, we want to do that.’ We want to make sure that we are advancing with better technologies…The problem comes down to how we do it and what is effective,” Herrera Beutler said.
The former Representative is looking forward to the August primary and hopes to bring a new vision to the Department of Natural Resources.
