I can't help but to jump in give you guy's my 2cents worth!

You all complain that Bush is this, and he is that. You need to look no further then your own Water Quality Experts (WDOE) to get more of the same! We (The Friends of the Cowlitz (FOC), Cowlitz Plan for Restoration-Fish (CPR-Fish) and the Cowlitz Tribes had addressed numerous issues when one of your most favorite "big powers companies", Tacoma Power, had applied for their new 401 Clean Water Permit.

Guess who was defending the big power folk's people? Yes, it was no other then our own WDOE! WDOE was there holding Tacoma's hand and working side by side with them. As just one example of this hypocrisy; WDOE knew that levels of arsenic were above the "federal acceptable levels" in the Cowlitz River. Did Ecology require Tacoma to "monitor" where they were coming from…NO! Did Ecology put this monitoring requirement into Tacoma new 401 Permit…NO! You got to ask yourself Why.

Now why didn't WDOE do that? Because Tacoma and WDOE both had screwed up during the relicensing process, and Ecology failed to catch it. All this was reveled at and duing the Pollution Control Hearing Board (PCHB) hearing, but nothing was really done about it.

So what was WDOE excuse, they said that "arsenic" was a natural occurring element in all rivers in the waters of Washington. Even thought it was above the acceptable "legal federal standards" they went with Tacoma, to cover up their own a$$'s.

So after that folks, don't blame just the "Bush Administration" or the republicans for everything. We need to look no further then our own WDOE to find the fault!

I could say more, but I will hold off foe a little while (boy that hard for me to do).


Cowlitzfisherman