[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 59 (Thursday, May 3, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4239-S4240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COLUMBIA BASIN SALMON RECOVERY PLAN
Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, a priceless national treasure in the
Pacific Northwest is in dire straits. Icons of our region, wild salmon
and steelhead, teeter on the brink of extinction. These anadromous fish
are one of the best examples of how nature works her magic and selects
the best and the brightest for future generations. This heritage must
not end. Our generation has the responsibility to assure that these
fish live on and enrich our lives in the future.
Despite several decades of work and a cost to taxpayers and
electricity ratepayers of an estimated $3 billion, Pacific Northwest
salmon and steelhead have continued to decline to the point where they
may soon become extinct. We must reverse this trend. We must not allow
extinction to happen and must proceed quickly with an aggressive
consensus plan of action that returns them to sustainable and fishable
populations. I believe we can do so in a manner that honors the
principles of state water sovereignty, states' rights, and private
property rights.
The economy of the Pacific Northwest is mainly vibrant and strong
with some important exceptions, particularly in some more rural areas
that depend on agriculture and natural resource industries. We must
keep our Northwest economy strong and spread its strength throughout
the entire region. This economy provides jobs for families and tax
revenue to support important work, particularly the education of our
children. Now, we face high energy costs and drought. Therefore, it is
imperative that we make prudent choices now that will assure our future
and quality of life in the Pacific Northwest.
There are volumes of scientific research and theories on what needs
to be done to bring these fish back from the brink of extinction. For
years, I have studied documents, discussed science with experts and
advocates, held hearings to learn about and publicize policy choices,
and today I am here to lay out a funding proposal to make our efforts
for salmon and steelhead recovery far more aggressive, comprehensive,
and coordinated than they have ever been.
The cost of restoring these fish has largely been borne by the
citizens of the Northwest through the electricity rates they pay that
fund the Northwest Power Planning Council's Fish and Wildlife Program.
But because this is a national issue and because recovering the species
is required by the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Government has
an obligation to shoulder a significant portion of the financial
responsibility for doing so.
I will not support flow augmentation other than that agreed to by the
State of Idaho, if any. The extensive political opposition to breaching
the four lower Snake dams means that such a recommendation would put
the region into economic and political gridlock in such a way that
would prohibit further efforts to take achievable steps to save the
salmon and steelhead.
We now have a window of time, possibly up to 10 years, to exercise
options and take steps toward recovering the fish before evaluation of
dam breaching is then brought back to the table for further
consideration. That means we have a brief opportunity to do things
right. Otherwise, if we continue to spin our wheels or make wrong
decisions about how to approach recovery, we will, in 5, 6, or 8 years
be once again facing the difficult question of whether the region must
breach the dams to save the fish.
Even though we have not yet mastered the entire process required to
recover these fish, it is very obvious that we do have an enormous
amount of good information and a very long list of measures that we can
do, right now. The problem is that we have done only part of what we
can do. My proposal will commit the region and the Federal Government
to take immediate coordinated and aggressive action that is known to
benefit the fish while providing an agreed-upon mechanism for
monitoring and subsequent adjustments.
Specifically, I am recommending:
Corps of Engineers, $159.8 million, additional funding for their
Columbia River Fish Mitigation program. This program primarily funds
the construction of fish passage systems and also provides dollars for
the Corps to contract with the National Marine Fisheries Service to do
anadromous fish research and monitoring.
An increase for operations and maintenance funding (O&M), which will
also provide the money needed to barge all fish, rather than trucking
salmon around the dams. O&M funding is essential to keeping fish
passage systems operable and mitigation programs running. Furthermore,
we must study the potential benefit to modernizing the region's flood
control management.
Money for restoring estuary habitat in the Lower Columbia River and
Tillamook Bay Estuaries. We have heard from all of the interests that
we'll get a big bang for the buck for salmon and steelhead by restoring
estuary habitat.
National Marine Fisheries Service, $243.5 million, additional funding
for the operations and maintenance of fish hatcheries. In the past, our
hatcheries have provided sport fishing opportunity, but have not yet
benefitted wild salmon and steelhead recovery. We need to reform our
hatcheries to produce fish that are not susceptible to disease and
predation, and support recovery goals.
An increase for screening irrigation diversions. If we are to recover
salmon and steelhead, we must keep juveniles in the river and out of
irrigation systems. These diversion screens can cost up to $1 million
apiece, which make them unaffordable to communities, irrigation
districts, and individual farmers.
Full funding for the Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. It is critical to
the states of Idaho, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California as well
as the Tribes that the federal government provide funding to help meet
federal Endangered Species Act requirements for salmon and steelhead.
Bureau of Reclamation, $25.0 million, funding to provide for the
purchase of
[[Page S4240]]
one more year of Idaho State-authorized flow augmentation, which is the
427,000 acre feet of water that is used to facilitate salmon and
steelhead migration, plus $10 million to fund a water bank to store
water for the purposes of fish passage and temperature reduction during
low flow periods. The Bureau of Reclamation would also receive money to
implement offsite mitigation measures called for in the Biological
Opinion.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, $56.9 million, increases for habitat
improvements, habitat conservation planning, landowner assistance,
Section 7 consultation, and hatchery retrofits.
In addition to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Fish and
Wildlife Service has major responsibilities for screening irrigation
diversions. Its screening program provides help to individual
landowners in the form of technical assistance and money to pay for
fish screens over irrigation diversions.
There are many agencies with responsibilities for implementing salmon
and steelhead recovery measures, and, frankly, these are just some of
them. I also recommend funds for other agencies such as the Natural
Resource Conservation Service and the Environmental Protection Agency
to implement their piece of the anadromous fish restoration program.
This adds up to a grand total of $688.2 million.
I anticipate that regional interests will examine the details of my
proposal and will offer suggestions to improve this appropriations
package. I encourage that discussion and look forward to the input that
others will offer. There are processes currently underway in the region
that could well result in changes to this proposal.
It is my hope and expectation that this funding will change what has
been a decades-long, torturous, and expensive process into a success
that will make the Pacific Northwest a role model for how to recover
endangered species. I look forward to working with colleagues in the
House and Senate to provide funds to support a successful Columbia
Basin Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan.
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