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McDermott Introduces the Salmon
Economic Analysis and Planning Act
March 13, 2007
For Immediate Release

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), joined by Republican Tom Petri (R-WI), and 31 original co-sponsors, today introduced the Salmon Economic Analysis and Planning Act (SEAPA), which calls for the independent Government Accountability Office and the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a one-year study on all the options available to restore wild salmon runs successfully and in a fiscally responsible way.

McDermott has long championed restoring wild salmon to safe and historic levels. He said it has been ten years since objective data has been produced, adding, "Facts, not fear, or false claims, should guide Congress and the American people in making decisions that will save salmon from extinction."

"SEAPA calls on GAO and NAS to provide factual data, and coming from these gold standards of independence and excellence, it will be beyond reproach," McDermott said.

In crafting the legislation, McDermott said he reached out to any group concerned about the salmon resource and the economic issues involved, and listened to those willing to come to the table. McDermott said changes to the bill were made based on the input received. One change he cited was removing language in SEAPA that some groups in the past had said targeted the removal of the four lower Snake River dams. "Unlike previous legislation, this bill provides no new authority to the Army Corps of Engineers to call for dam removal," McDermott said.

In a joint letter sent recently to every Member of the House of Representatives, McDermott, joined by Rep. Tom Petri, Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Rep. Chris Shays, said: "We will introduce this legislation soon in an effort to address a long-standing fiscal and environmental crisis: under current policies, the wild salmon of the Snake River and the rest of the Columbia Basin in the Pacific Northwest are headed toward extinction in spite of continued taxpayer and ratepayer expenditures totaling more than $6 billion over the past 25 years. "

The letter points out that several wild salmon stocks may become extinct in as little as 15 years, and that every option should be considered by agencies that are beholden to no one. "The Salmon Economic Analysis and Planning Act does not endorse, authorize, or make any judgment on lower Snake River dam removal. It calls on the Government Accountability Office and the National Academy of Sciences to review all options for salmon recovery and provide needed information on what should be done to restore salmon runs in a fiscally responsible manner."

"I'm willing to listen, but I'm not willing to wait, because I'm not willing to practice the politics of extinction, doing nothing until there is nothing left to do, because there are no more wild salmon left to save," McDermott said.