I thought I'd pass this along.
-Greg
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Thompson decries VP's Klamath interference
Eureka Times Standard - 8/2/07
After new evidence was revealed during a House Natural Resources Committee
hearing on whether government officials manipulated science in order to
divert water from the Klamath River, North Coast Rep. Mike Thompson issued a
statement blasting that abuse of the process.
"(Tuesday's) hearing is clear evidence that the scientific process behind
the water diversion was purposely manipulated by government officials," said
Thompson. "Sidestepping this process led to an illegal water plan that
contributed to the largest adult salmon kill in the West."
The Department of Commerce's inspector general testified that department
officials bypassed key oversight mechanisms when creating a biological
opinion on how a water diversion would affect endangered fish in the
Klamath.
The final biological opinion, which was later found in violation of the
Endangered Species Act, contributed to the deaths of roughly 80,000 spawning
salmon.
The hearing was held by the House Natural Resources Committee in response to
a request made by Thompson and 35 of his Democratic colleagues from
California and Oregon.
They called for the hearing because of the reported pressure Vice President
Dick Cheney placed upon the Department of Interior to, as the Washington
Post stated in its June investigative report, "prioritize economic interests
over protected fish."
The Post reported that the vice president called for water to be diverted
from the Klamath River Basin to farms in Oregon in order to secure the
farmers' votes.
Cheney declined to testify at the hearing.
"The history of political strong-arming in the Klamath is despicable," said
Thompson. "Fortunately, a silver lining has begun to form. Stakeholders in
the Klamath River Basin are working together on a plan to recover the fish
and help the farmers who need water for their land.
"I believe there is room for both the fishers and the farmers, but we must
ensure the government's future involvement is transparent and honest,"
Thompson said. "To that end, I am committed to continuing this investigation
and improving the oversight process."
