H-4376.1  _______________________________________________

                     HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4032

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1998 Regular Session

By Representatives Buck, Butler, Chandler, DeBolt, Sehlin, Hatfield, McCune, Doumit, Kessler, Zellinsky and Thompson

Read first time 01/21/98.  Referred to Committee on Natural Resources.

Regarding salmon and steelhead under the federal Endangered Species Act.

    TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 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, The people of the State of Washington are facing the impacts of the listing and proposed listings of salmon and steelhead stocks under the federal Endangered Species Act; and

    WHEREAS, These listings represent a serious threat to the continued economic well-being of the people of the State of Washington; and

    WHEREAS, The people of the State of Washington will fully comply with the requirements of the federal Endangered Species Act within its borders and territorial waters; and

    WHEREAS, The salmon and steelhead that spawn in the State of Washington spend most of their life cycle outside of waters controlled by the state; and

    WHEREAS, Considerable threats to the salmon and steelhead of the State of Washington can only be addressed by the intervention of the United States Government; and

    WHEREAS, The success of any conservation plan implemented under the federal Endangered Species Act for listed salmon and steelhead runs in the State of Washington is in doubt without immediate action by the federal government;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the United States Government immediately resolve the United States-Canada fishing dispute, enforce the two hundred-mile limit and the ban on high seas drift net fishing, and provide funding for salmon recovery efforts which mitigate the loss of habitat caused by the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable William J. Clinton, 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.

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