    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [August 22, 2003]
    [Pages 1045-1049]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at Ice Harbor Lock and Dam in Burbank, Washington
    August 22, 2003

        Thank you all very much. I appreciate you coming out to say hello.
    Thank you. Be seated, please. Thanks for coming out to say hello. It's a
    little different view from the views we have in Crawford. [Laughter] The
    temperature is a little cooler, too, I want you to know.
        But thanks for coming. It's such an honor to be here at the Ice
    Harbor Lock and Dam. I found it interesting that another Texan came to
    dedicate the dam. Vice President Lyndon Johnson dedicated this
    unbelievable facility in 1962. He said it's ``an asset of astounding
    importance to the region and to America.'' He was right in 1962, and
    when I tell you it's an asset of astounding importance to this region of
    America in 2003, I'm right as well.
        We just had a great tour, seeing this facility and its technological
    wonders. This work has added to the strength of your State, and it's
    added to the prosperity of the people. It's really important that we
    remember that when we're talking about national assets. After all,
    people's money built this facility, and we want the facility to help the
    people. The facility has been a crucial part of the past in this region,
    and I'm here to tell you it's going to be a crucial part of the future
    as well.
        I was pleased to see the incredible care that goes into protecting
    the salmon that journey up the river. It's an important message to send
    to people, it seems like to me, that a flourishing salmon population is
    a vital part of the vibrancy of this incredibly beautiful part of our
    country. I appreciate the commitment that we are making as a country and
    that you're making as a community for salmon restoration. What I saw was
    and what you know firsthand is that we can have good, clean
    hydroelectric power and salmon restoration going on at the same time.
    And that's what I want to spend some time talking about. We have a
    responsibility to work together to make sure the human condition is
    strong and to make sure that the salmon flourish. And we'll meet that
    challenge.
        I thank Gale Norton for her leadership.
    She is the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. She is a lady
    from the West. She understands land management. She knows what I know,
    that the folks who live closest to the land are those that care most
    about the land. And we appreciate that attitude.
        I'm traveling in some pretty darn good company too, when it comes to
    the congressional delegation. Old Doc Hastings
    has

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    made a pretty good hand--[applause]. He informed me first thing, before
    he even said hello, that he was a grandfather again today. So
    congratulations, Doc. I wouldn't take too much credit for it, Doc, if I
    were you. [Laughter]
        I appreciate so very much traveling with George
    Nethercutt as well. Both
    Doc and George are always telling me about how
    important eastern Washington is. Every time I talk to them, they're
    reminding me not only that the folks here are just fine, fine, down-to-
    earth, hard-working people, but our Nation is blessed to have the
    resources that are coming from this part of your beautiful State.
        The western part of your State is beautiful as well, and it's well
    represented--parts of it are well represented by my close friend
    Jennifer Dunn. I'm glad you're here, Jennifer.
        The Acting Secretary of the Army, Les Brownlee, is with us today. I appreciate you coming, Les. Thank you
    for being here. We've got a lot of folks from the Corps of Engineers
    that are with us, people who are making this dam work, and I want to
    thank them for their service to our country. I appreciate so very much
    the National Marine Fisheries Service, through the Commerce Department,
    the representatives that are here as well.
        I thank all the mayors that have come out, the State and local
    officials. I like to tease the mayors and tell them they've got a pretty
    darn tough job. After all, if the pothole isn't filled, they're going to
    hear from somebody firsthand at the coffee shop. [Laughter] That doesn't
    happen to the President much. [Laughter] I thank the mayors for coming.
    Just keep the garbage picked up. [Laughter]
        I appreciate so much the tribal chiefs that are here with us today,
    distinguished leaders that are here to make sure that the heritage of
    the salmon is protected and honored and revered, Chief Burke and Blackwolf,
    Sockzehigh, Seyler. I'm honored you all are here, and thank you for coming
    as well, for taking time.
        One of the things I've learned about Washington, DC, there's a lot
    of experts on the environment there. [Laughter] At least they think they
    are. They're constantly trying to tell people what to do. My judgment
    is, they--those who think they know what they're doing in Washington,
    DC, ought to come out and visit with the folks that are actually
    protecting the environment, people such as yourself. I have been to your
    State enough to know that the people of this great State are never very
    far away from some of nature's most beautiful sights. And the people who
    appreciate those beautiful sights the most are those who live close to
    the sights. They understand best of all what it means to be a good
    steward of land and water.
        The Washington way of life depends and always will depend on the
    wise protection of the natural environment. It's been a part of your
    past; it's going to be an important part of the future of this State and
    our country, for that matter. And a vital part of the natural
    environment is the Pacific salmon.
        Lewis and Clark, as Doc was--made sure to
    point it out, where Lewis and Clark stayed--where he thought they
    stayed. [Laughter] But he did say that they stayed in this part of the
    world a long time. I can see why. The weather's nice, and the scenery is
    beautiful. But think about what it was like when those rivers in 1805-
    timeframe were just full of salmon. It must have been an unbelievable
    sight for them, particularly if they were hungry. [Laughter]
        Today, there are a lot fewer salmon in the waters. And the mission
    has got to be to fight the decline. The mission has got to be to make
    sure that we understand that without the salmon in the Columbia and
    Snake Rivers, that this would be a huge loss to this part of the world.
    That's part of what the focus of my short discussion is today, is to let
    you know that we understand in this administration that we

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    want to work with the local folks to revitalize the salmon runs.
        The good news is that salmon runs are up. And that's really
    positive. And we just need to make sure we keep that momentum. I want to
    talk about some ways we're going to do it. Gale mentioned one thing is that we can spend that money in
    Washington, and we're writing a pretty good-size check in '04. It helps
    keep the commitment about what I said when I ran for President. I said,
    look, we are concerned about the fish. We're also concerned about the
    citizens of Washington State who depend upon the dams for electricity
    and the water to water their land so we can have the crops necessary to
    eat in America.
        But the economy of this part of the world has relied upon the steady
    supply of hydropower. And we've got an energy problem in America. We
    don't need to be breaching any dams that are producing electricity. And
    we won't. Part of a national energy policy has got to make sure that we
    increase supply and maintain supply. And I saw the six generators that
    are able to capture a steady flow of water that produces that power that
    enables people to live. We want the salmon to live; we want the quality
    of life in this part of the world to be strong as well.
        You know something, I talk about people closest to the land care
    about the land more than most. Every day is Earth Day if you're a
    farmer. Farmers depend upon the quality of the land and the quality of
    the water. And I understand that. And I understand that this dam and the
    dams along this river have a got a lot to do with the ability for people
    to farm the land.
        You know, one of the great things about our national security is
    that we don't have to worry about food from some other country. We
    produce enough to eat here in America, and that's good for our national
    security. I can't say the same for energy, by the way. We're reliant
    upon foreign sources of energy. That is a problem for national security.
    We're not reliant upon foreign sources of food, and that's important.
    This dam helps us become--so that we don't get reliant upon foreign
    sources of food.
        Our farmers depend upon the dams on this river. People who run the
    barges need the dams. The dams accommodate--in other words, commerce
    happens, people can make a living, people have food on the table so they
    can feed their families. At the same time, the salmon are getting more
    plentiful. And it's a positive story, and it's a story we've got to
    continue to make sure this stays positive.
        We have shown the world that we can have good quality of life and,
    at the same time, save salmon. And that's exactly what this
    administration will continue to do. I understand we can't do it alone,
    but we can help. We can make a difference. As Gale mentioned, the budgets are increasing. We're helping on
    technology. I just saw some technology that enables the young salmon and
    steelhead to pass through the dam near the surface of the dam at lower
    speeds and lower pressures. That will help the young salmon runs. The
    technology is employed at the Lower Granite Dam. It will be installed
    soon here at Ice Harbor. In other words, the Federal Government is doing
    its part by gathering the technologies that will make the salmon runs
    stronger and better over time.
        I bet in '62 there wasn't that much concern about salmon runs, when
    Vice President Lyndon Johnson was here. I haven't reviewed his entire
    speech; I don't know how much time he spent talking about technologies
    necessary to save salmon. But in 2003, we can say we're developing good,
    strong technologies to save salmon. We're getting better at it. And
    that's what--[applause].
        And I appreciate so much the hard work of the Federal employees that
    are doing what we pay them to do. I also know my friend Donnie
    Evans, who is the Secretary of Commerce, has
    got conservation plans

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    that are now being developed and implemented in Chelan and Douglas
    County public utility districts. It's a good, creative use of Federal
    money, it seems like to me, to create these conservation plans and
    habitat restoration programs, to be smart about how we develop the
    strategies necessary to encourage salmon runs to increase. The plan will
    minimize the impact of dams, improving fish-bypass systems and hatchery
    programs. And we'll continue to work to fund local habitat restoration
    programs. In other words, there's a lot going on. But the truth of the
    matter is, in order to make this strategy work, we're going to have to
    work with the local folks. That's the reality of the situation.
        I know that--I saw some of the irrigation systems, spray systems--
    they look pretty darn modern to me. I suspect some of the oldtime
    farmers here will tell you that there's been a lot of technological
    advancement when it comes to conservation of water. The more water our
    farmers conserve by using efficient sprinkler systems, obviously the
    less operating costs they have. But also it helps the salmon. And so for
    the farmers who are here, I want to thank you for doing your part not
    only feeding America but being good stewards of the water you use.
        There's a group called Fish First. I met a fellow named Gary
    Loomis. And I appreciate Gary coming today. Gary
    is a guy who cares about restoring salmon runs, salmon habitat. So he
    and a group of volunteers have come together to work on the salmon
    projects around the State of Washington. They're installing culverts to
    accommodate the fish. They're creating side channels and ponds. They're
    getting their money through private donations. There's a lot of people
    who care about salmon runs, and they ought to be helping by contributing
    money. And they're using volunteers and some public grants.
        As I understand that Gary Loomis' group is
    going to add another 4,900 foot of stream channel, mainly through
    volunteer work. And I appreciate what you're doing, Gary. I want to--why
    don't you stand up and give people a chance to look at you and let you
    know the--[applause]. I want to thank you for what you're doing. This
    will give me a chance to tell the people of the great State of
    Washington and Oregon that if you're interested in salmon runs, if you
    want to do your part about conserving this great legacy, volunteer with
    groups like Gary Loomis' group.
        There's a lot of good conservation groups that have a good
    commonsense view about making sure that the quality of human life is
    strong and the quality of fish life is vibrant and healthy as well.
    Volunteer help makes a difference.
        I appreciate the positive attitude that people have here in this
    part of the world, the can-do attitude: ``Here is a problem; let's go
    solve it together.'' And that's what we're here to confirm. It makes a--
    it's a lot better than what happens a lot of times when it comes to
    conservation issues. And that is, people just file lawsuit after lawsuit
    after lawsuit, just kind of tie everything up in endless litigation, and
    nothing gets better.
        We've got that issue, by the way, with our forests. I was in Oregon
    yesterday, saw the devastating forest fires that are taking place. It's
    just sad to see national assets just go up in tremendous flames because
    we have not done a good job of thinning out our forests and protecting
    our forests. And a lot of the reason why is because people just file
    lawsuits, and we get stuck in the court, and nothing happens. The
    forests don't benefit. People in the communities close to the forest
    are--have their lives endangered because of the kindling that has piled
    up. We need to cut through all this business and get solving the
    national problems.
        And so the good news about what's happening here is it looks like
    you've been able to bypass all the endless litigation, come up with
    solutions to the problem so that the people can say, you know, ``Job

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    well done.'' Generations--future generations can say these folks had a
    chance and they responded.
        And I want to thank you for what you do to make sure that this part
    of the world is as vibrant and healthy, the heritage of the salmon
    remains strong. There's no doubt in my mind you will accomplish the
    objective, no doubt in my mind we will help. We want to be helpers, not
    hinderers, coming out of Washington, DC.
        You know, the amazing thing about this country is when we put our
    mind to something, we can do a lot. We can do a lot. My mind is still
    focused on protecting America, by the way. We're going to hunt the
    terrorists down wherever they are and bring them to justice. And we're
    making progress. See, in America we know that freedom--free countries
    will be peaceful countries. We also know that freedom is not America's
    gift to the world; it is the Almighty's gift to every human being.
        Abroad, this great Nation will lead the world to more peaceful
    times. We'll promote freedom. We worry about the human condition when
    people are enslaved by tyranny. And at home, we'll protect our assets.
    We'll conserve our beautiful environment, and at the same time, we'll
    work to make sure that people can make a living, that people can work
    hard, put money on the table; they can do their duty as a mom or a dad
    for--to feed their families.
        Listen, America is a fabulous country, fabulous not only because of
    the values we hold dear but fabulous because of the nature of the
    people, who are the American people.
        Thank you for coming. May God bless you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:17 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Gary Burke, chairman, board of trustees, Confederated Tribes of the
    Umatilla Indian Reservation; Harold Blackwolf, Sr., chair, Fish and
    Wildlife Committee, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation
    of Oregon; Ross Sockzehigh, tribal council chairman, Yakama Nation;
    Warren Seyler, tribal business council chairman, Spokane Tribe; and Gary
    Loomis, president, Fish First.