Letter to Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman

August 25, 2004

The Honorable Ann Veneman
Secretary
United States Department of Agriculture
Administration Building, Room 100-A
Washington, D.C. 20250

Dear Secretary Veneman:

On August 2, 2004 a severe thunderstorm struck two counties in Washington State. The resultant high winds and hail severely damaged the legume, oil seed, and grain crops in Spokane and Whitman Counties located in eastern Washington.

I am writing to urge you to declare a Secretarial Disaster Designation for Spokane and Whitman Counties in Washington State as requested by Governor Gary Locke. Your declaration of an agricultural disaster designation will provide the producers in these counties with sorely needed low-interest loans.

I look forward to your prompt response and to working with you to ensure that producers who have been affected by these untimely natural disasters have access to the resources they need in a timely fashion. Please direct any questions and your response to my Eastern Washington Director, Judy Olson in my Spokane, Washington office at (509) 624-9515.

Sincerely,

Patty Murray
United States Senator