Sometimes good news gets lost in the press of politics, and sometimes conclusions are reached before the facts are known.

The Department of Ecology’s success at getting the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) to voluntarily cut smoke emissions from wheat fields is a case in point.

We spent several years trying to get agreement to reduce cereal-grain burning, but with no progress. Last winter, the wheat growers finally committed themselves to positive results beginning this year. They will reduce wheat-stubble smoke from permitted burning by 50 percent or more over the next seven years, rather than fight in court to maintain the status quo.

State law allows Ecology to limit grass-field burning under certain conditions, and we used that authority to nearly eliminate that practice. However, this same authority does not apply to cereal-grain burning. Without the growers’ voluntary efforts, it could take several years of research to sufficiently justify mandatory limits on grain-stubble burning – and we could still face lengthy legal challenges.

Under that scenario, air-quality improvements would be delayed – and Eastern Washington would not be able to enjoy the air-quality improvements that will occur this summer and the next several years.

We are proud of the method of securing those improvements and the results. Negotiations with WAWG on the agreement were robust and involved substantial give and take. We consulted the interest group about the reduction targets, and I personally consulted the leaders of Save Our Summers about the baseline measures before the negotiations concluded.

I am concerned about claims that Ecology withheld a document from a Spokesman Review reporter who asked to review our files. In fact, we did not hide any documents from the newspaper. The same document was in the file when it was reviewed later by an activist group that is suing Ecology, and the group brought it to the reporter’s attention.

One of two things occurred: either the document was in additional files that were transferred from our headquarters office in Lacey and had not yet reached the Spokane office when the reporter reviewed the records, or the document was overlooked by the reporter. It would be easy to overlook, since the files fill three bookcases, eight feet tall by three feet wide.

Unfortunately, we cannot pinpoint precisely what occurred, and the governor and I have ordered a review of our processes to avoid similar problems in the future.

The document in question was WAWG’s plan for announcing the agreement. Citizens send us lots of information and advice on every issue we handle. WAWG’s plan is one of hundreds of documents we have on this topic. We did not use it, and it had no influence on the final agreement.

Ecology has worked for years to achieve much-needed relief from agricultural smoke. We share the desire to obtain results as quickly as possible, and progress will be swifter if growers voluntarily participate.

Our agreement -- coupled with our ongoing, vigorous enforcement of burning regulations -- is a step in that direction. No other regulatory option is available to us that would achieve the amount of improvement as quickly as this agreement will.

Decisive action comes at the risk of criticism. I am proud that we negotiated a voluntary agreement to reduce air pollution in Eastern Washington, and we will work hard to ensure that it produces its promised results.