EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Washington, DC
For Immediate Release
|
May 19 , 2000 |
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS BRIEF STATES ON FEDERAL EFFORTS TO
RESTORE COLUMBIA-SNAKE RIVER SALMON
Administration officials today briefed
representatives of the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana on
federal efforts to restore salmon in the Columbia and Snake Rivers, describing
the broad outlines of the long-term strategy they are developing, and assuring
the states that they are on track to completing the draft plan by late
June.
George Frampton, Acting Chair of the Council on
Environmental Quality, and other Administration officials also assured the
states that they, as well as affected Tribes, will have opportunity to review
and comment on the proposed strategy before final decisions are made later this
year.
The federal agencies are working closely to
complete this comprehensive, unified federal strategy as quickly as possible,
and we are fully committed to having it in place by early fall, said
Frampton.
Frampton emphasized that the strategy will address
salmon concerns throughout the Columbia-Snake River basin, going well beyond
the question of whether four dams on the Lower Snake River should be breached.
This is bigger than the Snake River, he said. We need an
aggressive approach for the entire Columbia River basin that mobilizes the full
range of recovery measures, from restoring habitat to improving hatcheries. We
can't look at dams alone.
The draft strategy to be presented in June will be
outlined in two documents: the National Marine Fisheries Services' draft
biological opinion on operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System; and
a draft All-H Paper providing greater detail on proposed federal actions to
restore all 12 endangered salmon stocks in the Columbia basin. Once final,
these documents will help shape the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' final
environmental impact statement on salmon concerns on the Lower Snake River,
which is due later this year.
In addition, the Fish and Wildlife Service intends
to release next month a draft biological opinion identifying measures to
restore other resident fish and aquatic species throughout the Columbia River
basin.
The proposed salmon recovery strategy will include
specific measures to improve river flows; modify dam operations; protect and
restore salmon habitat; reform hatchery operations; and continue limits on
salmon harvest.
With respect to the Lower Snake dams, the proposed
strategy would establish a set of performance measures to gauge the
success of salmon recovery efforts; and a trigger mechanism that
will put before Congress the question of dam breaching if, within a certain
number of years, it is clear that recovery targets are not being met.
Our goal from the start has been a strategy
built on the best possible science, said Frampton. While the
science suggests that dam breaching could significantly benefit salmon
recovery, it also suggests that other measures might lead to recovery. In other
words, the science does not clearly indicate that breaching is the only
possible option; nor does it allow us to take that option off the
table.
Given the scientific uncertainties, Frampton said,
the best course is to pursue all other reasonable options while preparing to
undertake breaching, if it proves necessary. This strategy would not
sidestep or delay a decision on breaching, he said. Rather, it
would address the issue head on by establishing firm parameters under which
breaching would be pursued.
Ultimately, a decision to breach the dams would
require authorization from Congress. Under the proposed strategy, work would
begin immediately on the technical studies that would accompany any such
recommendation to Congress, and on a plan to ease the economic impact should
breaching take place.
Frampton said that CEQ is working in concert with
the federal agencies to complete details of the draft strategy.
Each of the agencies plays a vital role in
this process, he said. Given the enormous complexities of the
issue, and the uncertainties in the science, there are bound to be honest
differences of opinion among experts. The process of working through those
differences naturally focuses much of the attention on the areas where people
disagree. But there is far more agreement among the agencies than disagreement,
and we are very close to working through any remaining differences.
Frampton also noted that successful recovery of the
Columbia-Snake salmon runs will require action on the part of the states,
Tribes, and other stakeholders as well. The federal government will do
its part, but can not achieve these goals on its own, he said. We
want to work in partnership with the region to explore the stakes and
tradeoffs, and achieve consensus on a coordinated strategy that gets the job
done.