Recommendations of the Governors of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington
for the Protection and Restoration of Fish in the Columbia River Basin
July 2000
Related links: 2003 recommendations
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[In response to the release of the draft 2000 Biological Opinion on
Hydropower Operations by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the four
Northwest governors issued their own recommendations for key policy
elements of a regional approach to salmon recovery. In the cover letter
accompanying their recommendations, the governors wrote that they intended
their proposals to constitute ?useful advice and guidance? to federal
and state decision-makers, not an alternative recovery plan.]
Introduction
Almost two decades after Congress passed the Northwest Power Act and
nearly a decade after the first Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings of
fish in the Columbia River Basin, state and federal agencies and Indian
tribes have not agreed on a long-term, comprehensive, effective and
coordinated approach to protecting and restoring fish of the Columbia
River Basin, particularly salmon and steelhead. Individually and
collectively, we governors have the authority to contribute to the efforts
currently under way to develop an integrated, regionwide approach to fish
recovery.
We acknowledge a broad regional responsibility to protect fish and
wildlife species. Such an effort is under way through the Northwest Power
Planning Council's (Council) fish and wildlife program amendments. As
currently envisioned, the Council's program should be an important
preventive component because wise management will help the region avoid
future ESA listings.
Because of the work of the last 10 years, including research and
on-the-ground efforts, there is regional support for many key elements of
fish recovery. In this document, we express our support for these elements
as the nucleus of a regional approach to the recovery of ESA-listed
aquatic species, particularly salmon and steelhead.
We want to stress that while we intend the consensus recommendations
contained in this document to be useful advice and guidance to
decision-making entities such as the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency and the
Northwest Power Planning Council, our recommendations do not constitute a
plan that can substitute for the procedural and substantive planning
requirements of the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Northwest
Power Act, or other relevant state and federal laws.
We are keenly aware of the extent to which breaching the four lower
Snake River dams has become a polarizing and divisive issue. Regardless of
the ultimate fate of the dams, the region must be prepared in the near
term to recover salmon and meet its larger fish and wildlife restoration
obligations by acting now in areas of agreement without resort to
breaching the four dams on the lower Snake River. In order to succeed, the
region must have the necessary tools including a clear and comprehensive
plan, adequate time, and sufficient funding. Our recommendations address
some of those necessary tools.
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