S-4360               _______________________________________________

                                          SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 8028

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Senators Zimmerman and Bauer

Read first time 2/1/88 and referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, Congress passed the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act to protect the resources and support the economy of the Columbia River Gorge; and

          WHEREAS, Congress authorized construction of a new navigation lock at Bonneville Lock and Dam within the Scenic Area; and

          WHEREAS, Construction of the new navigation lock will produce 4.7 million cubic yards of spoil material; and

          WHEREAS, Congress failed to provide for recreational development on the Bonneville Pool at the time of construction of the dam, as was provided at other Columbia and Snake River dam projects; and

          WHEREAS, Public access to the Columbia River in the Scenic Area is severely limited by highway and rail line and by the topography of the Gorge; and

          WHEREAS, The five port districts on the Bonneville Pool and other agencies have proposed uses for all 4.7 million cubic yards of material produced by construction of the new lock; and

          WHEREAS, The proposed uses would improve public access to the Columbia River and enhance the economy of the Gorge;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that Congress and the Army Corps of Engineers designate sites in the National Scenic Area as the sole eligible recipients of remaining spoil material from construction of the new navigation lock and of spoil material from other Corps projects on the Bonneville Pool.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That Congress and the Army Corps of Engineers assign highest priority to sites identified by the port districts on the Bonneville Pool and to sites where deposition would improve recreational access or wildlife habitat so long as those sites are found by the Commission and the Secretary of Agriculture to be consistent with the purposes of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act, P.L. 99-663; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the spoils be delivered to the designated sites at no cost to agencies which own or manage the sites; and

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.