Gov. Gregoire names Ecology Director Manning to seat on Coeur d'Alene Basin Commission

For Immediate Release: November 9, 2005

OLYMPIA - Nov. 9, 2005 -- Gov. Chris Gregoire announced today that Washington Department of Ecology Director Jay Manning will sit on the Coeur d�Alene Basin Commission to represent the interests of Washington State in the basin�s Superfund cleanup decision-making process.

The Basin Commission was created by the Idaho Legislature in 2001 to lead the 30-year cleanup of pollution in the Coeur d'Alene Basin. The commission is tasked with overseeing much of the $359 million cleanup.

Washington has one seat on the seven-member commission, which meets today in Coeur d�Alene.

Historical mining and smelting operations at Bunker Hill polluted the Coeur d'Alene River, Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Spokane River in Washington. Spokane River sediments in Washington State are polluted in several locations with lead, arsenic, zinc, and cadmium.

�It�s imperative that Washington has a meaningful say in decisions that directly affect the health of the Spokane River and the health of Washington residents,� said Gov. Gregoire. �Washington will significantly increase its investment in this process to make sure the Commission is able to meet that mark.

�For this reason, I have appointed my lead environmental cabinet member to aggressively represent Washington's interests on the Commission,� she added.

Manning will bring to this seat the full scientific and technical resources of the state of Washington to ensure Washington�s needs are met, the governor said.

Manning replaces Jim McCurdy, a law professor at Gonzaga University, who was appointed to the seat by Gov. Gary Locke in 2002.

Gov. Gregoire credited McCurdy with building relationships with Idaho's county commissioners and applying his expertise in consensus-based decision making to the Commission�s complex work.

As a citizen volunteer, McCurdy was the only member of the commission without a dedicated staff to support him and the position does not have veto authority within the commission process.

�Even with these limitations, Jim worked tirelessly to represent the interests of the citizens of Washington,� Gov. Gregoire said.

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