USDA backing Washington ranchers in standoff with state authorities
A years-long legal battle between a generational ranching farm in eastern Washington and state regulators has caught the eye of the nation’s top agricultural official. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says she’s going to intervene on behalf of ranchers in Washington state who are facing a criminal investigation over their use of public lands.
The state Department of Ecology has issued a quarter-million-dollar fine against King Ranch for what they allege are 23 illegal excavations of protected wetlands and “destruction of cultural resources” that could result in criminal charges.
Rollins made the announcement after she spoke to the ranching family.
“What they have been subjected to by an out-of-control (Department of Ecology) and (Department of Natural Resources) is no less than egregious,” Rollins said in a post to X on Tuesday. “Ranchers have a right to maintain stock water farm ponds and should not be faced with a closed door criminal action and over a quarter of a million dollars worth of fines just so their cattle can drink!”
She added that the “radical weaponization of laws against farmers and ranchers must END,” and that her department is looking into the matter. When asked to elaborate on what the department could do to intervene in the state matter, a spokesperson for the USDA pointed SAN back to the secretary’s social media post.
The announcement of federal intervention comes nearly four years after the family first learned the state had taken issue with their stewardship of the land they’ve raised cattle and horses on for decades.
The offense
The Washington Department of Ecology announced in 2023 that King Ranch had been fined nearly $268,000 for damaging protected alkali wetlands. The department later referred the matter to the state attorney general for a criminal investigation.
Cattle ranchers in arid regions commonly dig out small patches of land to let rainwater collect, giving their livestock a water source when other options are limited. The practice is permitted by Washington law, even on public lands, but the department alleges the King family dug out protected alkali wetlands important to local wildlife.
Alkali wetlands hold concentrated minerals after evaporation of surface water runoff and groundwater surfacing. The phenomenon is rare in Washington, only occurring east of the Cascade Mountains. State regulators say the wetlands are home to migratory birds and several unique animal and plant species.
Washington Department of Ecology images of one area showing the difference between July 2019 and April 2021. (Google Earth)
The Spokesman-Review reported that a member of a local tribe tipped off the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2021 after seeing equipment on federal property. Ecology estimates the ranchers excavated 6.4 acres of wetland and damaged another 1.8 acres around them in the Coulee City area.
In addition to the charge, Ecology ordered the ranch to repair any holes before it’s forced to forfeit its public land leases, including any improvements the ranch has made over the years.
Instead of referring any potential charges to county prosecutors, the Washington officials chose to involve the state’s attorney general. The Attorney General’s office is investigating the ranch under a Special Inquiry Judge Proceeding, something King family attorney Toni Meacham said in a 2024 speech was typically reserved for public corruption and sophisticated fraud cases. As described by The Center Square, an SIJ is Washington’s version of a grand jury, where hearings and other aspects of the procedure are done behind closed doors.
The King family initially learned of the allegations against them on Dec. 23, 2021, when they were told by the Department of Natural Resources that they were in default of their public land lease. They had to file a public records request to learn more about the allegations. In 2023, the family hired soil and hydrology experts to determine if the disputed plots held alkali wetlands. The team told them there were none.
The Kings didn’t learn of a potential criminal charge of “destruction of cultural resources” until the state served a subpoena to the wife of one of their farmhands in January 2024.
A spokesperson for the Department of Ecology elaborated on the charge in a statement to SAN.
“The actions of King Ranch damaged wetlands, including rare alkaline wetlands, which are protected by Washington state law,” the spokesperson said. “Those actions resulted in a penalty from the Department of Ecology and an order to restore the wetlands. That penalty was appealed and the legal case is ongoing.”
USDA stepping in
Years after the family was initially notified, the USDA says they’re planning to intervene.
“We’re truly honored that Secretary Rollins took the time to speak to the family this week,” Meacham told SAN. “Her thoughtful questions and genuine offer to help gave the Kings hope. The federal government is listening. We hope Washington state does the same.”
She added that the Kings have the “federal government’s commitment that more is to come.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
