Salmon, dams on agenda in Clarkston
A House subcommittee is sending some members to the Inland Northwest next month to hear opinions on salmon – and not whether it’s better with chardonnay or a dry Riesling.
Rather, several members of the House Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power want to hear what people think about salmon, the Endangered Species Act and the Snake River dams. They’ll be in Clarkston on June 6, at the Quality Inn Suites Conference Center, 700 Port Drive, for a two-hour hearing that starts at 9:30 a.m.
This will be the second congressional “field hearing” in the region in as many months, and both have had an environmental flavor. In April, a special task force looking at whether the National Environmental Protection Act needs to be revised, was in Spokane.
The Clarkston hearing had its start in a January letter that four Inland Northwest Republicans wrote to Richard Pombo, the chairman of the House Resources Committee. Reps. Cathy McMorris and Doc Hastings, of Washington, and Butch Otter and Mike Simpson, of Idaho, said they were concerned about calls to breach the Snake River dams to help restore salmon, and thought Pombo’s committee needed an up-close and personal look at “problems the Endangered Species Act has caused in the Columbia Snake River Basin.”
When Pombo held a hearing in Pasco in 1998, it drew more than 700 people. “We expect a Clarkston hearing would attract similar attention,” they added.
While the interest remains high, anyone heading for Clarkston should know that the same field hearing rules that ticked off a few folks in Spokane will apply. Congress doesn’t hold “y’all come and talk at us” sessions, whether the reps are in this Washington or the other one.
Only invited witnesses get to testify. Anyone else with thoughts on salmon, dams, barging, irrigating or other issues that surround this controversy can write them down and drop them off.
Not certain how many members of Congress are going to be better schooled on salmon as a result of this hearing. So far, the expected attendees include McMorris, Otter and Hastings – who all know the issue pretty well – and George Radanovich of California, the subcommittee chairman.
And just for the record, it’s usually better with chardonnay.
Maybe time adds perspective
The state Republican Party wants to overturn last fall’s initiative that calls for a “top two” primary, saying it improperly interferes with the party’s ability to select its nominees.
That’s not really a surprise, because the party said it would likely sue if that type of system was selected to replace the old blanket primary.
But the interesting thing is that the legal challenge seeks to overturn an initiative that got about 60 percent approval at the ballot box. In other words, the state GOP is suing to overturn the will of the voters.
About 11 years ago, Republicans throughout Eastern Washington jumped all over then-House Speaker Tom Foley for joining a lawsuit against another initiative, the one that set up term limits.
“He’s suing the voters,” they whined, either ignoring or oblivious to the fact that’s the only way to challenge an initiative.
Haven’t heard that whine from any Republicans yet on this initiative.
Maybe it’s too early. Or maybe it’s because Foley was a Democrat.
Hot under the collar
The Evergreen Freedom Foundation has been after John McKay, the U.S. attorney for Western Washington, to investigate problems with last November’s election. You know, the one that’s scheduled for a trial in Wenatchee on Monday.
McKay has declined, which has ticked off the foundation to no end.
Then last week, McKay announced his office was taking over the federal investigation of the Jim West case, because his counterpart for Eastern Washington, Jim McDevitt, knows West and recused himself from the local investigation. Now the foundation is really steamed.
“Maybe we can get Mr. McDevitt to take the job over here,” said the foundation’s Lynn Harsh in a press release. “It could be a straight-up trade, but the Spokane office might ask for an attorney to be named later.”