News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 27, 2000
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Statement by Gov. Gary Locke on the biological opinion (bi-op) concerning the federal hydropower dams on the Columbia/Snake Rivers

OLYMPIA - "The Four Governors Agreement outlines a course for recovering Columbia River salmon and steelhead without breaching the lower Snake River dams. The draft federal Bi-Op and All-H approach is clearly consistent with that position and sets aside for now this most polarizing and divisive issue. Regardless of the ultimate fate of the dams, this is a positive direction we wholeheartedly support.

"With all the dams remaining in place, a primary responsibility for implementation of fish recovery in the Columbia Basin falls upon state and local governments, tribal governments, citizens and stakeholders working together on fish recovery at the local and state level. Each state has organized its own response to meet its own responsibilities. We are concerned that the federal funding to support implementation of salmon recovery continues to rely exclusively upon a regional governmental body, the Northwest Power Planning Council. To prevent duplication, confusion and frustration, Washington will insist that the Council's sub-basin planning and funding processes work in a manner that will defer to the state's salmon recovery strategy.

"The Four Governors Agreement endorses a presidential designee to oversee the multi-federal agency salmon recovery effort in the region, and to serve as a single point of contact for state, tribal and local governments. This is not a salmon czar; rather, it is an individual who reports directly to the President. We will emphasize the need to have such a designee at the center of the federal and regional salmon recovery effort.

"We will have more detailed comments after we have had time to review the document."

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