<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>96 Senator Murray Secures $4.5-million for Central Washington Transportation, Staff, Wheat Life</TITLE> </HEAD> <body bgcolor="FFFFFF" text="000000" link="0000FF" vlink="FF0000" alink="0000FF"> <basefont face="Arial, Tahoma, Times New Roman" size="3" color="#000033"> <TABLE border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0"> <TR align="left" valign="top"> <td><small> <A href="https://sgi25.netservers.net/bluefish.org/thefilm.htm">the film</A><br> <A href="forum.htm">forum</A><br> <A href="library.htm">library</A><br> <A href="tutorial.htm">tutorial</A><br> <A href="contact.htm">contact</A> </small></td> <TD> <A href="economic.htm"><img src="images/economic.gif" border="0" width="110" height="110" align="center" alt="Economic and dam related articles"></a> <TD> <CENTER><FONT FACE="Arial, Helvetica" COLOR="0000FF"> <strong><BIG><H2 align="center">Senator Murray Secures $4.5-million
for Central Washington Transportation</H2> </BIG></STRONG></FONT><FONT COLOR="FF0000">by Staff <BR>Wheat Life, January 2006</FONT></CENTER> </TABLE> <HR> <P align="left"> U.S. Senator Patty Murray recently secured $4.5-million for transportation priorities throughout central Washington. A House-Senate conference committee approved the FY 2006 spending bill, which now goes to the full House and Senate for final passage and then to the president for his signature. Murray was especially pleased to secure $1-million for the Washington State Produce Rail Car Program.

"For years, Washington growers have been penalized by high transportation costs and difficulty getting rail cars," Murray said. "This funding will provide the rail cars they need to move their produce to market."

"We are very pleased our senator continued to put her efforts and energy behind this program," said Washington State Potato Commission (WSPC) Executive Director Chris Voigt, noting that the WSPC has worked with Murray in originating the project. Senator Murray secured $1-million for this project last year. "None of this would have happened without her," he said.

Railcars are in short supply for Washington farmers and ag shippers who need to move perishable commodities like fruit and vegetables. This project, modeled on the Washington Grain Train project, will restore rail cars in order to put them in service to help address this shortage and get perishable commodities to ports and other markets.

Earlier legislation at the state level gave the Washington State Department of Transportation the authority to administer the program and an allocation of $200,000 for start-up funding. The WSPC and Washington Perishable Shippers Cooperative Association are currently working with WSDOT on an RFP for a management company for the program.

<HR> <strong>Staff</strong><br> <A href="http://www.wheatlifemagazine.com/0307/pg48_0307.pdf"> <I>Senator Murray Secures $4.5-million for Central Washington Transportation</I></a><BR> <strong>Wheat Life</STRONG>, January 2006 <HR> <P align="center"><CENTER> <BIG><strong>See what you can learn</STRONG></BIG><P> <A href="topic.htm">learn more on topics covered in the film</A><BR> <A href="https://sgi25.netservers.net/bluefish.org/video.htm">see the video</A><BR> <A href="script.htm">read the script</A><BR> <A href="songs.htm">learn the songs</A><BR> <A href="forum.htm">discussion forum</A><BR> <IMG src="salmon_swimming_md_wht.gif" width=150 height=70 alt="salmon animation"> </CENTER> </basefont> </body> </HTML>