[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3441-S3442]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Wyden and Mr. Baucus):
  S. 715. A bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a 
portion of the Columbia River as a recreational river, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.


            HANFORD REACH WILD AND SCENIC RIVER LEGISLATION

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to 
establish the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River as a Wild and Scenic 
River. Simply stated, this is the best, most cost-effective, and 
smartest way to protect the Northwest's dwindling wild salmon runs.
  The Hanford Reach is an extraordinary and unique place.
  While most of the Columbia River Basin was being developed during the 
middle of this century, the Hanford Reach and other buffer areas within 
the Hanford Nuclear Reservation were kept pristine, ironically, by the 
same veil of secrecy and security that lead to the notorious nuclear 
and chemical contamination of the central Hanford Site. Today, these 
relatively undisturbed areas are the last wild remnants of a great 
river and vast ecological community that have been tamed by dams, 
farms, and other development elsewhere.
  As the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River, the 
significance of the Hanford Reach cannot be overstated. Mile for mile, 
it contains some of the most productive and important fish spawning 
habitat in the lower 48 states. The volume and velocity of the cool, 
clear waters of the Columbia River produce ideal conditions for 
spawning and migrating salmon. The Reach produces eighty percent of the 
Columbia Basin's fall chinook salmon, as well as thriving runs of 
steelhead trout and sturgeon. It is the only truly healthy segment of 
the mainstem of the Columbia River.
  The Reach is also rich in other natural and cultural resources. Bald 
eagles, wintering and migrating waterfowl, deer, elk, and a diversity 
of other wildlife depend on the Reach. It is home to dozens of rare, 
threatened, and endangered plants and animals, some found only in the 
Reach. Native American culture thrived on the shores and islands of the 
Reach for millennia, and there are over 150 archeological sites in the 
proposed designation, some dating back more than 10,000 years. The 
Reach's naturally spawning salmon and cultural sites remain a vital 
part of the culture and religion of Native American groups in the area.
  It is remarkable that the Reach offers so much in such close 
proximity to the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, Washington. 
The Reach offers residents and visitors recreation of many types--from 
hunting, fishing, and hiking to kayaking, waterskiing, and 
birdwatching--and adds greatly to the quality of life and economy of 
the area.
  Back in 1994, only the locals in and around the Tri-Cities had heard 
about the last-free flowing stretch of the mighty Columbia River. 
Several residents had been working more than

[[Page S3442]]

thirty years to save the Reach and they got me involved to do the same. 
They showed me what a precious resource the Hanford Reach is, and I 
promised to do everything in my power to protect it.
  I convened a Hanford Reach Advisory Panel to develop a consensus plan 
to protect the river corridor. Their work has been the basis of the 
bills I have introduced in the past and that I am introducing today, 
and builds on the foundation begun by Senators Dan Evans and Brock 
Adams, and Congressman Sid Morrison who enacted legislation imposing a 
moratorium on development within the river corridor in 1987.
  I am confident this is the year we will finally achieve our goals and 
create a new Wild and Scenic River. We cannot wait any longer to save 
the Reach. Since the recent listing of the Puget Sound chinook, 
everyone across the Northwest is focused on what we all must do to save 
our wild salmon.
  Designating the Hanford Reach as a Wild and Scenic River is the 
simplest and most effective way to provide real, permanent protection 
for our wild salmon stocks. Only under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 
will we get the expertise, resources and permanency that federal 
management agencies, like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provide. 
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is recognized as the best way to protect 
endangered rivers across the nation. The Reach deserves no less than 
the best.
  And this designation will not cost a penny. The land surrounding the 
river is already publicly held. The Department of Energy owns land on 
both sides of the river, so no private lands will be acquired or taken 
out of production to save this special place.
  In addition to public ownership, this section of the river is in 
superb ecological condition. It offers the best salmon spawning grounds 
on the mainstem of the Columbia. It will not require the millions of 
dollars for remediation that we've spent on other rivers and streams 
across the country. All the Hanford Reach requires is our protection, 
and it will continue to produce salmon runs unsurpassed anyplace in the 
region.
  Creating a Wild and Scenic River will help us avoid drastic measures 
like breaching the dams along the Columbia and Snake River systems to 
restore salmon. The recent Endangered Species Act listing of nine more 
northwest salmon runs as threatened, is another indication that we must 
take immediate action. Protecting the Reach is an insurance policy 
against the future possibility of expensive clean-up efforts and 
lawsuits. We must make this investment now to demonstrate we're serious 
about protecting not only wild salmon, but also the economic and social 
structure in the inland West.
  This bill differs from my previous legislation in some important 
ways. Not only does it create a federally-designated recreational Wild 
and Scenic River, it also establishes an innovative management approach 
through the creation of a multi-party commission. The management 
commission will develop a plan to guide the US Fish and Wildlife 
Service and will be comprised of three federal representatives from the 
Departments of Energy, Interior, and Commerce (National Marine 
Fisheries Service); three Washington state representatives from the 
Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Ecology, and Community, Trade and 
Economic Development; three representatives of local government from 
the counties of Benton, Grant, and Franklin; three tribal 
representatives from the Yakama, Umatilla, and Nez Perce peoples; and 
three local citizen representatives from conservation, recreation, and 
business interests.
  This bill also takes us a step closer to consolidating lands on the 
Hanford reservation itself in order to facilitate economic development, 
preservation of sacred tribal sites, and protection of important 
biological resources. It requires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
and the Department of Energy to examine the best ways to consolidate 
BLM lands on the south side of the river on the Hanford site. It 
establishes the objectives of the study to clear title to lands along 
the railroad and in the 200 Area for industrial development; to protect 
wildlife and native plants; and to preserve cultural sites important to 
Native Americans.
  This bill does not address the critical and sensitive lands of the 
North Slope (also known as the Wahluke Slope) because the land is still 
needed by the Department of Energy for safety reasons. However, I hope 
to work through the administrative process to ensure these lands are 
not disturbed in any way that could possibly impact the healthy salmon 
spawning grounds below the White Bluffs. I remain committed to 
enlarging the existing Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge 
because, again, I am convinced we must provide the strongest, surest 
protection for the North Slope to offer our wild salmon their best hope 
for survival.
  At a time when the Pacific Northwest is spending hundreds of millions 
of dollars annually on restoration and enhancement efforts, and 
struggling to restore declining salmon runs, protecting the Hanford 
Reach is the most cost-effective measure we can take. That is why the 
Northwest Power Planning Council, Trout Unlimited, conservation groups, 
tribes, and many other regional interests involved in the salmon 
controversy all support designation of the Reach under the National 
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
  These are some of the many good reasons for this Congress to take up 
and pass this legislation to ensure the Hanford Reach becomes a part of 
the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. I urge the other members of 
Congress to join us in demanding the permanent protection of this 
river. It has given us so very much. The least we can do for the 
Columbia River is to protect the last fifty-one miles of free-flowing 
waters and the wild salmon that call it home.
                                 ______