[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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