S-1124.1  _______________________________________________

               SUBSTITUTE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8000

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Parks & Shorelines (originally sponsored by Senators Jacobsen and Oke)

READ FIRST TIME 01/31/01.

Requesting the appointment of a federal multiagency contact person for Columbia River salmon and trout recovery.

    TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, 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 Endangered Species Act listings of threatened or endangered salmon and trout species on the Columbia River has required and will require significant changes in human activities and considerable expense in order to achieve recovery of those salmonid populations; and

    WHEREAS, Federal government management agencies participate in managing and regulating Columbia River fish resources, offshore commercial and recreational fishing, hydroelectric generation and distribution, water quality, irrigation, marine mammals, navigation, flood prevention, migratory waterfowl, Indian treaty rights, and a number of other vital activities that impact the people that depend upon the Columbia River; and

    WHEREAS, State and local governments, tribal governments, and citizens who have responsibilities to implement fish recovery measures often have difficulty determining the federal policies that apply to their activities, and sometimes the federal policy from one agency may contradict or be in conflict with another agency; and

    WHEREAS, State and local governments, tribal governments, and citizens will be better able to respond to federal mandates if they know the federal requirements and the requirements are consistent among federal agencies, and the performance standards used to judge progress are easily understood; and

    WHEREAS, Communication between state, local, tribal, and federal entities would be improved if a single federal contact person was appointed to serve the regions' interests and further salmon recovery to the fullest extent and such a proposal was recently approved by the governors of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your memorialists respectfully pray that the President appoint a person to oversee the multifederal agency salmon and trout recovery effort in the Columbia River region, and that this person serve as a regular point of contact for citizens and state, tribal, and local governments.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That Congress provide sufficient funding to enable the creation and operation of a federal multiagency contact person for Columbia River salmon and trout recovery, and that the contact person be empowered to report to Congress and the President on the salmon recovery funding, cooperation, and regulatory needs of the Columbia River watershed;

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, 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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