Political Quotes

“Yesterday afternoon a team of five Federal agencies announced agreement on an interim plan to protect endangered Columbia and Snake River salmon. This plan was formulated pursuant to the Endangered Species Act, and takes the form of a biological opinion on the effects of Columbia/Snake River operations on listed salmon population. My region, the Pacific Northwest, has been plagued by uncertainty and anxiety over the fate of both salmon and people who depend on the river system for economic vitality. The region is in the midst of its third straight drought year. Quite rightly, there has been fear on all sides that salmon stocks are so diminished that strict, draconian measures will be necessary to bring them back. Such measures can only bring economic dislocation. Mr. President, the plan announced yesterday is not extraordinary. It does not contain bold new science, nor radical protective measures, nor extreme, unanticipated costs. It is a creative compromise that seeks to balance the needs of fish with the ability of the region to pay for them. What is extraordinary about the plan is the way it was drafted.”