Kulongoski (D-OR) Threatens Lawsuit Against Federal Dam Operations

[hatrack]

Gov. Ted Kulongoski, on the heels of a fiery Monday speech at the statehouse in which he criticized federal environmental policies, told the Bush administration Friday he would sue unless federal agencies make hydropower dam operations less destructive to salmon.

Kulongoski's action adds considerable weight to the side of fishing and conservation groups, which are challenging the administration's recent conclusion that federal dams in the Columbia Basin pose no threat of driving endangered salmon to extinction. Kulongoski on Friday said he was "gravely concerned" the administration's approach to salmon protection "abandons any effort to achieve recovery of Columbia and Snake River salmon and steelhead populations."

A spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency responsible for endangered salmon, on Friday disputed the governor's assertions. "We think we did the right thing by both the Endangered Species Act and by the needs of the region," spokesman Brian Gorman said. But he said discussions among federal agencies are ongoing and "productive enough to continue."

At the same time, the governor's office, in officially filing a 60-day notice of intent to sue Friday, said it had not fully committed to suing. "We're making a good-faith effort at trying to find a solution," said Jim Myron, natural resource policy adviser."

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