Good Science
is Good for Farmers and Good for the Environment Please
Contact Your US Representatives and US Senators. Ask Them to Co-Sponsor and Support
H.R. 2829, and S. 1912, the Sound Science for Endangered Species Act Planning
Act Last
year the Klamath Basin area of Oregon and California was devastated by the abrupt
decision of the federal government to deny irrigation water to thousands of farmers
and ranchers in the name of saving the endangered Sucker fish and the threatened
Coho salmon under authority granted by the Endangered Species Act. Over the past
year, farmers and ranchers have gone bankrupt, the entire community has suffered
economic and social harm and millions of wild animals that rely on the secondary
flow of irrigation water to provide habitat and food in the region have struggled
from a man-made lack of water. According to a report by the Oregon State University
and the University of California at Berkley the cost to the regional economy of
cutting off the irrigation water was $134 million. The
decision to withhold water from the Klamath basin was based on "Biological Opinions"
or recommendations made by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine
Fisheries Service that were supposed to be based on a scientific evidence of the
critical habitat requirements necessary to preserve these species of fish. However
these recommendations were reached, and the decisions to halt the flow of irrigation
water were made, without any independent, peer reviewed evaluation of the conclusions
drawn by the scientists working for the federal agencies. Earlier
this year the National Academy of Sciences issued an interim report by a panel
of 12 independent scientists entitled "Scientific Evaluation of Biological Opinions
on Endangered and Threatened Fishes in the Klamath River Basin." The powerful
conclusions reached in that report indicate that there was actually no scientific
or technical basis for maintaining high water levels to protect the fish that
was the justification for the cut off of irrigation water. In fact, the report
also concluded that a second decision to send warm lake water downriver, rather
than to irrigators, may have actually caused harmed to the Coho salmon by increasing
the river's temperatures. Legislation
introduced by Rep. Greg Walden (OR) H.R. 2829, the Sound Science for Engendered
Species Act Planning Act would make minor but important changes to the Endangered
Species Act in order to improve the way that the science is used to make decisions
under the Act. Similar legislation, S. 1912, has been introduced in the U.S. Senate
by Sen. Gordon Smith (OR). Specifically this legislation would improve the use
of commonly used scientific procedures, such as peer-review and public participation
in the scientific evaluation process prior to a decision that affects the critical
habitat of an endangered species. These same scientific methods are used by other
federal agencies to assure the accuracy of scientific studies that protect human
health and the environment in making decisions regarding the approval of pharmaceuticals,
pesticides, and motor fuels. Action
Plan--- Please Tell your US Representative and US Senators that Good Science
is Good for Farmers and Good for the Environment! Ask them to Co-Sponsor the Sound
Science for Endangered Species Planning Act -
Ask your U.S. Representative to cosponsor and support H.R. 2829, the Sound Science
for Endangered Species Act Planning Act of 2001
-
Ask your U.S. senators to cosponsor and support S. 1912, the Sound Science for
Endangered Species Act Planning Act of 2002.
Thank
you for your grassroots participation in the National Grange Legislative Program.
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