State natural-resources agencies outline 2025 priorities, budget asks at House Agriculture and Natural Resources hearing

The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee convened an informational hearing Tuesday for agency introductions and briefings, where officials from the governor’s office and eight state agencies outlined top priorities for the 2025–27 budget cycle and previewed legislation they expect to sponsor or support.

The hearing, chaired by Representative Reeves, brought speakers from the governor’s executive policy team and agency leaders including Derek Sanderson, director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture; Laura Butler, WSDA legislative liaison; Dave Updegrove, commissioner of public lands; Pat Sullivan, director of government and external affairs for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR); Kelly Susowan, director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW); Megan Duffy, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO); James Thompson, executive director of the State Conservation Commission; Larry Epstein, deputy director of the Puget Sound Partnership; and Casey Sixkiller, director of the Department of Ecology.

The presentations emphasized a mix of long‑running programs and near‑term pressures: agricultural viability and pest surveillance at WSDA; wildfire response, recreation demand and land‑conservation requests at DNR; biodiversity and enforcement options at WDFW; grant programs and salmon recovery at RCO; voluntary, locally delivered conservation through conservation districts; monitoring and toxic‑runoff concerns in Puget Sound; and emerging toxics, recycling and certification work at…