Promises to Stop Attacks on Oregon Economy "Dead in their Tracks"
Washington, DC – Today, Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) wrote to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Regional Administrator Bob Lohn urging him to consider Oregon's weak economy when revising a biological opinion that was recently struck down by a federal court ruling.
The complete text of Smith's letter is available upon request.
"I want to stress that the Northwest economy is closely intertwined with the policies affecting electricity production and salmon runs," Smith wrote. "The utmost care should be taken to ensure that Oregonians, who are already suffering the nation's highest unemployment rate, are not unnecessarily harmed by any revisions to the biological opinion. With this fragile economy in mind, I would urge that when NOAA has a choice between two actions equally protective of salmon, that the agency choose the least cost alternative."
In 2000, the Clinton Administration issued a biological opinion (BiOp) aimed at recovering salmon stocks in the Columbia Basin. The BiOp called for actions restoring habitat, adjusting fish-passage methods, and improving hatcheries. However, on May 7, U.S. District Court Judge James A. Redden ruled that the BiOp did not meet the legal standard that certain recovery actions would be "reasonably certain to occur" and that they would not be sufficient to compensate for the presence of dams.
"I don't believe Judge Redden's ruling calls for the breaching of the dams, but I am ready to defend Oregon workers and their families from those who want to strangle the Northwest economy," Smith said. "Hopefully, no one is foolhardy enough to make a serious attempt at removing the dams, but if they are, I will do everything in my power to ensure that they are stopped dead in their tracks."
Smith has been a staunch advocate for affordable electricity in the Pacific Northwest. In the past he has actively supported legislation which prohibits removing dams in the Columbia River System and has worked to prevent the performance of studies aimed at breaching the dams. If it becomes necessary, Smith has not ruled out introducing legislation to protect the dams and Oregon's economy in the future.
"Judge Redden's decision was both irrational and absurd in light of high salmon returns over the past few years," Smith said. "It is even more distressing that some radicals have seized upon this ruling to call for breaching the dams that provide the Northwest with affordable electricity. There are few things that would do more harm to our economy and destroy more jobs than to deprive Oregonians of their energy supply and navigation system."
