February 27,
2008
The
Oregonian
U.S. Reps.
Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat
from Portland, and Thomas
Petri, R-Wis., led the 92
lawmakers from 27 states who
wrote to Conrad Lautenbacher,
administrator of the
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration,
asking for a more thorough
look at measures to help
salmon.
They said the
draft plan the government
has come up with to offset
the damage done by dams is
no better than others that
have been rejected by the
courts, and may do even less
for salmon in some respects.
They noted
that taxpayers and Northwest
utility ratepayers have
spent more than $7 billion
on salmon restoration, with
no appreciable progress
toward recovery of the
species.
"Salmon
recovery is worth
significant federal
investment -- after all,
these fish are a cherished
national resource, vital to
the treaty tribes of the
Columbia River and an icon
of the Northwest -- but only
if the money is directed
toward an efficient,
effective and science-based
plan," they wrote.
If the
federal government doesn't
improve on its current plan
for salmon, "our nation will
be faced with yet more
gridlock, uncertainty and
expense" as imperiled
populations of salmon
continue to decline, they
wrote.
Federal
agencies are revising their
latest blueprint for salmon
after receiving public input
and face a court order to
finish it by May 5.
-- Michael
Milstein
