Bill: Hanford Reach ‘Wild, Scenic’

Five Northwest members of Congress have introduced a bill that would give the federal government control of one of the last undammed stretches of the Columbia River.

House Resolution 1477, introduced Thursday, calls for a Recreational Wild and Scenic designation for the Hanford Reach. That designation would give control of the stretch of river to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, once the Department of Energy releases control.

The Hanford Reach skirts the DOE-controlled Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

An estimated half-million fall chinook salmon spawn in the Hanford Reach. It is also an important steelhead and bird habitat.

The House bill is identical to a Senate bill introduced in January by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. The new bill is co-sponsored by Democrats Norm Dicks, Adam Smith and Jim McDermott of Washington; Earl Blumenauer and Elizabeth Furse of Oregon.