Former Southwest Washington Rep. Herrera Butler announces run for Commissioner of Public Lands

Jaime Herrera Butler announced that she’s running for Commissioner of Public Lands, via a news release on Tuesday. Her focuses are “reducing catastrophic wildfire risk, preserving habitats, and public recreation.”

Herrera Beutler formerly represented Southwest Washington in Congress.

“Decades of under management and neglect have turned too many of our public forests into crowded, diseased tinderboxes,” said Herrera Beutler. “Fires now run rampant every summer. They ruin our days with smoke, emit carbon, make home insurance unavailable and housing even more unaffordable. And for those unfortunate enough to live in the path of one of those fires, they can cause unimaginable heartache. I spent a dozen years in Congress fighting for more resources to responsibly manage our forests, remove the dead and diseased trees that serve as fuel for the fires that plague us every summer, and quickly fight the fires that do occur.”

According to the news release, Herrera Beutler graduated from the University of Washington and did a Fellowship-in-Residency at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics.

“We are so fortunate to live in America’s most beautiful state, and all of us have a responsibility to keep it that way,” said Herrera Beutler. “I will work with Tribes, scientists, landowners, sportsmen, the forest industry, and conservation groups to make sure Washington’s forests and diverse array of species and habitats thrive, and to preserve access to recreational use of public land for its owners – the people of Washington.”

The news release said she lives on 5 acres in Yacolt wither her husband and three children.

The current Commissioner of Public Lands is Hillary Franz.

In March, Franz announced her run for Washington governor.