Locke Invited To Tour River

County commissioners from the Hanford area want Democratic Gov. Gary Locke to take a tour of the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River.

“We would like to see you visit the area,” Grant County Commissioner LeRoy Allison said during a Thursday meeting.

“I would love to,” Locke said.

The future of the federally-managed reach, the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River in the United States, is the subject of hot debate.

The county commissioners oppose a proposal by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to designate the Hanford Reach a federal wild and scenic area.