What This State Needs Is More Local Sand

Doug Sutherland, Washington's outgoing Public Lands Commissioner, authorized the expansion of a sand mine on Maury Island last night, to environmentalists' chagrin and local construction companies' delight. The move comes just over four years after Sutherland established the Maury Island Aquatic Reserve (map [pdf]) in the first place. The mine expansion will apparently bring down the cost of concrete (local is cheaper) and benefit the environment by using barges rather than trucks to transport the sand.

Opponents are concerned about the whales, predictably, and about some sketchy details involving the contract with Glacier Northwest, which donated money to Sutherland's re-election campaign. Even the P-I has resorted to name-calling: Sutherland's a duck. A lame one. The Public Lands Commissioner-elect, a friendly-looking man named Peter Goldmark whom Seattlest has thought kindly of ever since he made us care about the campaign for his office months and months ago at a 43rd District Democrats meeting, is not happy about the decision. However, he's taking his cue from Obama: "There is only one lands commissioner at a time."

"Patternal" by Seattlest Flickr Pool contributor lachance. Cool!