October 15, 1998

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-Gorton Stalls Progress on Northwest Salmon
(SEATTLE)--Fishing and conservation groups today commended the Clinton Administration for standing up to Senator Slade Gorton's demands for draconian restrictions on Columbia Basin salmon recovery. These organizations also blasted Gorton for his one-sided support of industrial river-users on the Columbia and for his broken promise on Elwha River salmon recovery.

"For months Gorton has unfortunately held Elwha River dam removal, a salmon recovery measure with near-unanimous support, hostage to draconian restrictions on Columbia Basin salmon recovery, a completely separate issue," said Bill Arthur of the Sierra Club. "Since the Administration correctly rejected Slade's attempt to lock in the status quo of industrial dominance, taxpayer subsidies and failed recovery strategies on the Columbia, Slade decided to kill his hostage by withdrawing money for Elwha River salmon. Our senior senator has once again tried to legislate river management from D.C., and failing that, is taking out his anger on Elwha River salmon."

Negotiations between the White House and Gorton on Northwest salmon recovery just broke down over Gorton's demands to exempt Columbia Basin dams from salmon recovery measures and studies called for by the Administration, Northwest governors, fisheries biologists, fishing groups and others.

"It's sad that Washington's senior senator continues to pander to industrial river users at the expense of salmon, the fishing economy and a long-term regional solution to the salmon crisis," said Tim Stearns of Save Our Wild Salmon. "His unreasonable demands for major restrictions on Columbia Basin salmon recovery flies in the face of the best available science and undermines attempts to come to regional agreement. We applaud the Administration for resisting his efforts to re-write or ignore major laws designed to protect salmon and provide for balanced uses of the river."

Gorton has said that he is merely trying to ensure that the northwest and its members of congress have a major role in Columbia salmon recovery decisions.

"Gorton's claim that he is merely trying to ensure a Northwest voice in Columbia salmon decisions is disingenuous," added Bill Arthur. "Federal law already reserves to Congress the power over dismantling federal dams and the Administrations '1999 decisions' process already includes strong public participation. Gorton is trying to pre-empt this public process and lock in status-quo management. It is wrong for him to consistently stand in the way of the public process and the best available science."

NOTE: Representative Elizabeth Furse is expected to announce her new bill on salmon recovery and energy policy in a speech today in Portland.