Doug Sutherland (American politician)
Encyclopedia
Doug Sutherland, Republican, is the former Commissioner of Public Lands for the state of Washington. Sutherland was first elected to this statewide position in 2000, when he defeated former Governor Mike Lowry
. He was re-elected in 2004, defeating challenger Mike Cooper. In 2008 Sutherland ran for a third term, but lost to Peter J. Goldmark
, a rancher from Eastern Washington.
, Sutherland moved to Spokane, Washington
as a young boy. His father was a union plasterer
.
As a student at Central Washington University
, Sutherland spent his summers fighting wildfires in the forests of Northern California
and Oregon
as a smokejumper
. After graduating from Central Washington University with a Bachelor's Degree
in History, Sutherland spent eleven years with the Boeing Company. In 1971, Sutherland purchased the Tacoma Tent and Awning Company,http://www.tacomatent.com/ building it from four to thirty four employees over the next two decades. Having seen the impact government can have on small businesses and families, Sutherland became involved in local politics.http://www.dougsutherland.org/meetdoug08.html
. After just two years on the council, he was elected mayor
of Tacoma, where he served from 1982-1989. As mayor of Tacoma, he completed the nation's first environmental community assessment with then United States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Director Bill Ruckelshaus. He also served as the Chair of the Puget Sound Air Quality Authority. During that time the PSAQA led Pierce, King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties into compliance with the Clean Air Act
's new standards.
From 1989 to 1992, Sutherland served as the first City Manager
for the city of SeaTac
. He was responsible for the creation, staffing and development of municipal services
for the newly formed city. He helped lead SeaTac through pre-incorporation operations to its establishment as a fully functioning city in February 1990.
In 1992, Sutherland was elected Pierce County
Executive, a position he held until his election in 2000 as Commissioner of Public Lands. As Pierce County Executive he joined his Democratic
counterparts in King and Snohomish counties to create the Tri-County Salmon Taskforce, addressing the cleanup of Puget Sound
and finding ways to improve salmon habitat. The Puget Sound Action Team and the new Puget Sound Partnership are outgrowths of that effort.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/Pages/Sutherland.aspx
Sutherland became Commissioner of Public Lands in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004.
In 2005, he was investigated for sexual harassment
because of inappropriate touching and commenting to a younger female employee (who later resigned from the position.)http://www.horsesass.org/wp-content/uploads/sutherland-doc.pdf Sutherland issued a formal apology to the employee. No further action was requested.http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/416060.html
Doug Sutherland’s 2008 re-election campaign has been funded by contributions from a variety of sources. As of November 3, 2008 his campaign has received $571,716.62 from cash contributions and $602,131.08 from independent funding. The majority of the independent funding ($573,000) was provided from the Committee for Balanced Stewardship. The Committee for Balanced Stewardship is predominately funded by logging and mining companies. Major contributors include $100,000 from Weyerhaeuser
; $75,000 from Rayonier; $50,000 from Glacier Northwest
(the company currently strip mining and shipping from the Maury Island
Aquatic Reserve); and $25,000 from Sierra Pacific. Some of the cash and in-kind contributions directly to Doug Sutherland's campaign are also associated with Taylor Shellfish (a company under investigation for illegally harvesting geoduck
on DNR managed public state tidelands).
- Manages the Washington Department of Natural Resources
(DNR), which administers a $625 million, two year budget.
- Chairs the Board of Natural Resources (BNR), which sets policy for the management of state trust lands.
- Oversees the largest fire department in the state, protecting 12700000 acres (51,395.1 km²) of non-federal land, including private, state-owned and tribal lands from wildfires.
- Chairs the state Forest Practices Board, which sets regulations concerning private timber harvests, forest road building, and other forest operations.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/Pages/Sutherland.aspx
, range
, agricultural and commercial lands for the people of Washington State. State lands raise millions of dollars each year to fund the construction of public schools, colleges, universities and other government institutions, as well as county and state services. In fiscal year 2007 alone, the lands managed by DNR produced more than $209 million in revenue for trust beneficiaries. DNR also manages approximately 2600000 acres (10,521.8 km²) of aquatic lands, which include shorelines, tideland
s, lands under Puget Sound and the coast, and navigable lakes and rivers. DNR monitors cleanup and restoration efforts from mining operations and assists communities by providing scientific information about earthquakes, landslides and ecologically sensitive areas.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/Pages/Sutherland.aspx
and it is important that timber practices are done in an environmentally sustainable way. That is why all 2100000 acres (8,498.4 km²) of state trust forestlands are certified sustainable by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative
(SFI). The South Puget Sound Habitat Conservation Plan has also been certified sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC). DNR is currently in the process of having all state trust forestlands prepared for FSC certification.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/News/Pages/nr08_098.aspx
rather than converting. This is especially important for the family forest landowners who are frequently at the edges of urbanizing areas. The more difficult they find it to bring their timber to market, the more likely they are to sell their land for development. Timber from state lands helps create a sound infrastructure, allowing small landowners to keep their land forested. Healthy, working forests are the best impediment to conversion.http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080712/NEWS01/667315824&SearchID=73324454324017
. Initiative 937
mandated that 15% of all energy produced in Washington be renewable by 2020. In 2006, the two wind farm
s DNR is involved with produced 450 megawatts of electricity - enough to power over 150,000 homes.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004425403_windop20.html Along with the obvious environmental benefits, leasing state lands for wind farms helps diversify revenue sources to the state. This means the state earns revenue no matter what timber prices are, allowing decisions that are best for the long term of state trust lands, financially and environmentally.http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/05/05222008_Wind-farm-proposed-near-Larch-Mountain.cfm
, which provide clean drinking water and recreation benefits to communities. Doug Sutherland believes that working forests provide the cleanest water of any land use in the state and keeping land as working forest will continue to preserve that water quality into the future. Washington's riparian protections are some of the toughest in North America
, leaving a 150 feet (45.7 m) average buffer between streams and logging activity.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/lm_hcp_ch4d.pdf Sutherland believes it is important that DNR not only manage the land to ensure clean drinking water, but that they focus on meeting the even higher standard required by fish and wildlife.
Mike Lowry
Michael Edward "Mike" Lowry served as the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Washington from 1993 to 1997. Lowry is a Democrat.Lowry was born and raised in St. John, Washington, and graduated from Washington State University in 1962...
. He was re-elected in 2004, defeating challenger Mike Cooper. In 2008 Sutherland ran for a third term, but lost to Peter J. Goldmark
Peter J. Goldmark
Peter James Goldmark is the Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands and heads the Washington Department of Natural Resources. He is a Democrat from a rural part of Okanogan County, Washington, outside of the town of Okanogan....
, a rancher from Eastern Washington.
Early life
Born in MontanaMontana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Sutherland moved to Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
as a young boy. His father was a union plasterer
Plasterer
A plasterer is a tradesman who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls...
.
As a student at Central Washington University
Central Washington University
Central Washington University, often abbreviated CWU, is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States.This location was selected by the state legislature as a consolation prize after Ellensburg lost its bid to be state capital...
, Sutherland spent his summers fighting wildfires in the forests of Northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
as a smokejumper
Smokejumper
A smokejumper is a wildland firefighter who parachutes into a remote area to combat wildfires.Smokejumpers are most often deployed to fires that are extremely remote. The risks associated with this method of personnel deployment are mitigated by an extremely well developed training program that has...
. After graduating from Central Washington University with a Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in History, Sutherland spent eleven years with the Boeing Company. In 1971, Sutherland purchased the Tacoma Tent and Awning Company,http://www.tacomatent.com/ building it from four to thirty four employees over the next two decades. Having seen the impact government can have on small businesses and families, Sutherland became involved in local politics.http://www.dougsutherland.org/meetdoug08.html
Career
From 1980 to 1981, Sutherland served on the Tacoma City CouncilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
. After just two years on the council, he was elected mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Tacoma, where he served from 1982-1989. As mayor of Tacoma, he completed the nation's first environmental community assessment with then United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) Director Bill Ruckelshaus. He also served as the Chair of the Puget Sound Air Quality Authority. During that time the PSAQA led Pierce, King, Snohomish and Kitsap counties into compliance with the Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act
A Clean Air Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution in general. The use by governments to enforce clean air standards has contributed to an improvement in human health and longer life spans...
's new standards.
From 1989 to 1992, Sutherland served as the first City Manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
for the city of SeaTac
SeaTac, Washington
SeaTac is an American city in southern King County, Washington, and an outlying suburb of Seattle, Washington. Incorporated in February 1990, the City of SeaTac is ten square miles in area and has a population of 26,909 according to the 2010 census...
. He was responsible for the creation, staffing and development of municipal services
Municipal services
Municipal services or city services refer to basic services that residents of a city expect the city government to provide in exchange for the taxes which citizens pay. Basic city services may include sanitation , water, streets, schools, food inspection fire department, police, ambulance, and...
for the newly formed city. He helped lead SeaTac through pre-incorporation operations to its establishment as a fully functioning city in February 1990.
In 1992, Sutherland was elected Pierce County
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
Executive, a position he held until his election in 2000 as Commissioner of Public Lands. As Pierce County Executive he joined his Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
counterparts in King and Snohomish counties to create the Tri-County Salmon Taskforce, addressing the cleanup of Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
and finding ways to improve salmon habitat. The Puget Sound Action Team and the new Puget Sound Partnership are outgrowths of that effort.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/Pages/Sutherland.aspx
Sutherland became Commissioner of Public Lands in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004.
In 2005, he was investigated for sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
because of inappropriate touching and commenting to a younger female employee (who later resigned from the position.)http://www.horsesass.org/wp-content/uploads/sutherland-doc.pdf Sutherland issued a formal apology to the employee. No further action was requested.http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/416060.html
Doug Sutherland’s 2008 re-election campaign has been funded by contributions from a variety of sources. As of November 3, 2008 his campaign has received $571,716.62 from cash contributions and $602,131.08 from independent funding. The majority of the independent funding ($573,000) was provided from the Committee for Balanced Stewardship. The Committee for Balanced Stewardship is predominately funded by logging and mining companies. Major contributors include $100,000 from Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
; $75,000 from Rayonier; $50,000 from Glacier Northwest
Glacier Northwest
Glacier Northwest is the Pacific Northwest’s largest supplier of ready mixed concrete, sand, gravel, rock, cement and building materials.-History:...
(the company currently strip mining and shipping from the Maury Island
Maury Island
Maury Island is a small island in Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is connected to Vashon Island by an isthmus built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Before construction of the isthmus, the island was connected to Vashon only during low tide. The island is rural with...
Aquatic Reserve); and $25,000 from Sierra Pacific. Some of the cash and in-kind contributions directly to Doug Sutherland's campaign are also associated with Taylor Shellfish (a company under investigation for illegally harvesting geoduck
Geoduck
The geoduck , Panopea generosa, is a species of very large saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Hiatellidae.The shell of this clam is large, about to over in length, but the very long siphons make the clam itself very much longer than this: the "neck" or siphons alone can be ...
on DNR managed public state tidelands).
Commissioner of Public Lands
As Commissioner of Public Lands, Sutherland has the following responsibilities:- Manages the Washington Department of Natural Resources
Washington Department of Natural Resources
The Washington Department of Natural Resources manage over of forest, range, agricultural, and commercial lands for the people of Washington State. DNR also manages of aquatic areas which include shorelines, tidelands, lands under Puget Sound and the coast, and navigable lakes and rivers...
(DNR), which administers a $625 million, two year budget.
- Chairs the Board of Natural Resources (BNR), which sets policy for the management of state trust lands.
- Oversees the largest fire department in the state, protecting 12700000 acres (51,395.1 km²) of non-federal land, including private, state-owned and tribal lands from wildfires.
- Chairs the state Forest Practices Board, which sets regulations concerning private timber harvests, forest road building, and other forest operations.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/Pages/Sutherland.aspx
Department of Natural Resources
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages approximately 3000000 acres (12,140.6 km²) of forestForest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
, range
Rangeland
Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras...
, agricultural and commercial lands for the people of Washington State. State lands raise millions of dollars each year to fund the construction of public schools, colleges, universities and other government institutions, as well as county and state services. In fiscal year 2007 alone, the lands managed by DNR produced more than $209 million in revenue for trust beneficiaries. DNR also manages approximately 2600000 acres (10,521.8 km²) of aquatic lands, which include shorelines, tideland
Tideland
Tideland is the third published book by author Mitch Cullin, and is the third installment of the writer's Texas Trilogy that also includes the coming-of-age novel Whompyjawed and the novel-in-verse Branches....
s, lands under Puget Sound and the coast, and navigable lakes and rivers. DNR monitors cleanup and restoration efforts from mining operations and assists communities by providing scientific information about earthquakes, landslides and ecologically sensitive areas.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/Pages/Sutherland.aspx
Timber certification
Doug Sutherland believes that Washington's forests are its greatest natural resourceNatural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
and it is important that timber practices are done in an environmentally sustainable way. That is why all 2100000 acres (8,498.4 km²) of state trust forestlands are certified sustainable by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is a 'forest certification standard' and program of SFI Inc., a non-profit organization. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is the world’s largest single forest certification standard by area....
(SFI). The South Puget Sound Habitat Conservation Plan has also been certified sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council
Forest Stewardship Council
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established in 1993 to promote responsible management of the world’s forests. Its main tools for achieving this are standard setting, independent certification and labeling of forest products...
(FSC). DNR is currently in the process of having all state trust forestlands prepared for FSC certification.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/News/Pages/nr08_098.aspx
Conversion of forest land
Doug Sutherland believes that the responsible harvesting of timber on state lands provides an anchor for the forest industry statewide, providing an economic incentive to keep lands in forestryForestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
rather than converting. This is especially important for the family forest landowners who are frequently at the edges of urbanizing areas. The more difficult they find it to bring their timber to market, the more likely they are to sell their land for development. Timber from state lands helps create a sound infrastructure, allowing small landowners to keep their land forested. Healthy, working forests are the best impediment to conversion.http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080712/NEWS01/667315824&SearchID=73324454324017
Wind power
Doug Sutherland has been a major proponent of expanding Washington's base of alternative energyAlternative energy
Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
. Initiative 937
Initiative 937
Ballot Initiative 937 was a successful clean energy initiative in the US state of Washington, appearing on the ballot in the November 2006 elections...
mandated that 15% of all energy produced in Washington be renewable by 2020. In 2006, the two wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
s DNR is involved with produced 450 megawatts of electricity - enough to power over 150,000 homes.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004425403_windop20.html Along with the obvious environmental benefits, leasing state lands for wind farms helps diversify revenue sources to the state. This means the state earns revenue no matter what timber prices are, allowing decisions that are best for the long term of state trust lands, financially and environmentally.http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/05/05222008_Wind-farm-proposed-near-Larch-Mountain.cfm
Water quality
Many DNR lands and forests are adjacent to communities or are located in vital watershedsDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, which provide clean drinking water and recreation benefits to communities. Doug Sutherland believes that working forests provide the cleanest water of any land use in the state and keeping land as working forest will continue to preserve that water quality into the future. Washington's riparian protections are some of the toughest in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, leaving a 150 feet (45.7 m) average buffer between streams and logging activity.http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/lm_hcp_ch4d.pdf Sutherland believes it is important that DNR not only manage the land to ensure clean drinking water, but that they focus on meeting the even higher standard required by fish and wildlife.
External links
- http://www.dougsutherland.org/ Sutherland's campaign website.
- http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Pages/default.aspx Washington State DNR website.
- http://www.horsesass.org/?p=5191 Article regarding Sutherland's sexual harassment of female employee