The state of Washington is canceling a critical lease for the King family, ranchers who have been on the land for decades. The state wants the land so it can give it to an Indian tribe for free. The land was purchased by the state as part of the 1855 treaty with the Yakama Nation. They used a nonexistent law to do it.
Pursuing Environmental Justice
The state is also pretending the ranch is on wetlands. The Department of Ecology has never presented the King family with any evidence that any excavation had occurred other than a “blurry picture taken off Google Earth” to support the claim that sensitive alkali wetlands had been disturbed.
The state ordered the excavation of the ranch to stop, but there wasn’t any excavation on the ranch. No evidence that any excavation had occurred was ever provided.
When the Kings assumed it was a misunderstanding and requested a meeting to discuss the matter, they were told there was no further information, and they would have to file a request under the Public Records Act.
The emails and contacts went on in the same vein for years, until the ecology department decided to fine them $268,000. They also want them to turn it into wetlands, which isn’t possible.
After the DOE fine, DNR pulled the King Ranch leases in both Grant and Douglas counties and required forfeiture of improvements. After experts in soils, wetlands, and hydrology found no sensitive alkali wetlands, the state added the destruction of cultural resources as a reason to terminate the leases.
That action is also being appealed by the King Ranch.
This kind of corruption will affect all farmers in the state.
Watch the clip:
Is Washington state using non-existent environmental rules to fine ranchers and cancel their lease for environmental justice?
Reason’s @BessByers shares how the @waDNR is coming for King Ranch. pic.twitter.com/n7T5eU8vc2
— reason (@reason) May 6, 2026