Political Quotes

“earlier this month, I came to the floor to announce that I was introducing legislation that would authorize the removal of one of two dams on the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula in my state. I have always been skeptical about claims that dam removal will have significant enough impact on my state's depleted salmon runs to justify their social and economic costs. I am willing to go along with this limited experiment, however, provided that the removal or significant alteration of any dam on the Columbia-Snake River System will not take place without Congressional approval. As I mentioned in my statement, removing the lower Elwha Dam, a relatively small, poorly maintained project, is a small price to pay for the protection of the larger, more productive Columbia-Snake dams that are the lifeblood of our Northwest economy and that in recent years have come under attack by the Clinton-Gore Administration. I hoped that allowing the experiment of dam removal to move forward on the Elwha River would be enough to satisfy the wishes of environmental extremists within this Administration. I should have known that when it comes to environmental issues nothing is ever enough for this Administration. I was astounded by the criticism my bill has received. Big City newspapers in Seattle and Portland have attacked the bill. The Sierra Club and other radical groups have attacked the bill.”