Judge rules Bush's Salmon Plan violates Endangered Species Act

[Clarkie1]

I know this isn't the biggest issue on everyones radar, but there was a significant court victory yesterday against the Bush administration on this important environmental issue.

"Wild salmon and steelhead, and the communities that depend upon
them across the west coast are enjoying a huge victory. Judge
Redden in federal court ruled yesterday that the Bush
Administration's failing 2004 Federal Salmon Plan is illegal and
violates the Endangered Species Act.

And you can help right now! If you have not recently sent an
e-letter to your members of Congress, please do now right now.
We need effective political leadership in order to move us past
the merry-go-round of wasteful, failing plans and litigation.
You can help by contacting your congressional leaders and ask
them to support the Salmon Planning Act!

Background: In 2003 this same judge invalidated the previous
2000 Federal Salmon Plan and ordered the Bush Administration to
rewrite it. When the 2004 Plan was released six months ago, it
became clear that the new plan was actually worse than the old
one.

The Administration's new plan left salmon and fishing advocates
little choice, but to go back to court and fight it.

And our coalition of fishing businesses, taxpayer and clean
energy advocates, and conservation and sportfishing
organizations won!

So what does this all mean? It means that the judge recognized
that the $6 billion 2004 Plan would fail to protect salmon and
steelhead, fail to protect the cultural and economic communities
that rely on healthy salmon populations, and would waste huge
amounts of money on ineffective programs, like barging and
trucking fish around a lethal river - instead of ensuring that
the river was healthy enough for salmon to survive in.

And it means that we need our elected leaders to step up and
start working on real solutions.

Please take action now and ask your congressional leaders to
support the Salmon Planning Act!

http://www.wildsalmon.org/

Text of letter to be sent to congressional leaders:

"Wild salmon are a vital natural resource, providing jobs and
economic opportunities for many communities. Unfortunately, this
national treasure is threatened with extinction.

The four lower Snake River dams continue to be the largest
culprit in the salmon decline. Rather than improve the prospect
for salmon recovery, federal agencies have decided to ignore the
damage caused by those dams. Instead, the Bush Administration
recently issued a $6 billion plan that does not even attempt to
avoid salmon extinction--just merely slow the rate of
extinction. A recent ruling by a federal judge has reaffirmed
that a federal salmon plan released in January, and subsequent
operation of these dams continue to put threatened and
endangered salmon species at risk of extinction.

Already, over $4 billion has been spent on programs such as
trucking young salmon around the dams, and GAO studies say we
have nothing to show for that money. I believe taxpayers and the
people who depend on salmon deserve a real plan. That's why I
encourage you to support the bi-partisan Salmon Planning Act (HR
1615).

The Salmon Planning Act (SPA) would require independent
scientific analysis of the Administration's failing salmon
recovery efforts, and authorize dam removal on the lower Snake
River IF key federal agencies determine that it is necessary to
save wild salmon. SPA also would also determine how to best
protect communities, maintain energy supplies, and improve the
transportation infrastructure to move goods.

We cannot afford to continue the expensive failures of the past
thirty years. Please help make sure this resource is restored to
self-sustaining and harvestable populations. Please co-sponsor
the Salmon Planning Act- HR 1615-today!"

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Every little bit helps. No victory is unimportant or small. Thanks for

the post. I will contact my reps.