Office of Governor Christine Gregoire
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 31, 2005
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gregoire criticizes Columbia River injunction proposal
OLYMPIA - Oct. 31, 2005 -- Gov. Chris Gregoire today offered a preliminary reaction to proposed modifications to the operations of the Columbia River hydro system filed in federal court by the environmental plaintiffs. “I am very concerned that this proposal will cost Washingtonians dearly while delivering very little for endangered salmon,” she said.

The proposal asks the court to order significantly more spill of water in the spring and summer, to modify the way in which many dams are operated this winter, to modify the way many lower river dams are operated next summer, and to drawdown Roosevelt and Banks lakes if alternative water sources cannot be found.

Gov. Gregoire expressed very strong concerns with drawing down Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake if other sources of water cannot be found. “Those actions have serious consequences, and not just financial impacts. They may damage cultural resources, resident fish species, and cause other environmental and health effects,” she said. “We simply cannot solve one problem by creating a host of others.”

A drawdown of Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake potentially exposes sediment contaminated with toxic metals to drying and blowing in winds as fugitive dust and could harm resident fisheries in Lake Roosevelt.

The plaintiffs’ proposal asks for more water than a similar request implemented last summer when the court ordered spill at certain Snake and Columbia projects but did not order increased flows.

“I am concerned about the lack of demonstrated benefits and the very real costs,” the governor said. “We are still awaiting an evaluation of the expensive experiment with spill last summer.”

While this proposal deals with next summer’s river operations, the court has also established a yearlong process to rewrite the Biological Opinion governing hydro system operations for the long term. Gov. Gregoire affirmed Washington’s commitment to work within the court’s established process to recover endangered salmon.

“I hear the court speaking loud and clear. The region has one year to work together to develop a proposal to run the river in a way that protects salmon. We will participate fully and ask for the same commitment from our federal counterparts. Now is the time to come together on ideas that will benefit fish, like the locally-driven recovery plans being developed across Washington,” she said.

The governor joined local leaders in Walla Walla and Yakima last week in presenting salmon recovery plans to the federal government. “Those plans demonstrate that Washingtonians can work together to recover salmon. We can and must do the same on the Columbia for salmon, our agricultural communities and our economy,” Gov. Gregoire added.