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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2187 ResolutionRESOLUTION NO. ea \C rj A RESOLUTION opposing the proposed Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan drafted by the National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as related actions by the Northwest Power Planning Council, and supporting the Alternative Recovery Plans that rely on biological and cost-effective criteria WHEREAS, the National Marine Fisheries Service has presented a Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan that fails to identify directly the benefits gamed by the key measures contained within their Plan, or to prioritize such measures according to effectiveness, and the total cost associated with the full and complete implementation of the Plan will likely exceed annually several hundreds of millions of dollars, and HEREAS, the National Marine Fisheries Service's directive for a drawdown of the John Day Pool or the other four Snake River Dams is inconsistent with the decision path recommended for reservoir drawdown actions withm the agency's Recovery Plan, and WHEREAS, numerous scientific reports and studies prepared by university, government, and industry scientists, reveal that a drawdown of the John Day Pool or the other four lower Snake River dams would offer no measurable biological benefits for migrating salmon, or perhaps create negative biological impacts, and WHEREAS, biological impact assessments of a drawdown of the John Day Pool or the other four lower Snake River dams reveal that substantial harm would be inflicted on the resident fish and wildlife resources of the area, and WHEREAS, economic evaluations of a drawdown of the John Day Pool or the other four lower Snake River dams reveal that such an action would be among the least cost-effective measures that could be pursued by the Pacific Northwest states to recover or enhance salmon runs, and WHEREAS, unjustified reservoir drawdown and related flow enhancement actions would create an unwarranted economic burden on the citizens of Benton and Franklin counties, leading to mcreased irrigation pumping costs, increased electric power costs, and increased taxes to cover the costs for drawdown mitigation, and WHEREAS, recovery plans have been prepared and recommended by industry and university researchers that would minimize the economic costs of salmon recovery while, at the same time, maximizing the likely salmon benefits, and that the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Northwest Power Planning Council have failed to acknowledge and address fully recovery plans presented before them that stress biological and cost-effectiveness, and WHEREAS, the actions of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Northwest Power Planning Council reveal that little concern exists by these bodies for proposing salmon recovery measures based on the dominant weight of scientific and technical investigations and least-cost planning requirements, or that the Fisheries Service or Council have adequately consulted with or acknowledged the legitimate Pee elice, Mayor .11W117.0111r , • ubstello, City Attorney Ore concerns and wishes of citizens and their elected officials living within the Columbia River Basin drainage, NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PASCO, WASHINGTON, DO RESOLVE AS FOldr.OWS: That the City of Pasco strongly opposes implementation of measures under the National Marine Fisheries Service Salmon Recovery Plan that have not been subjected to a formal cost-effectiveness review, strongly opposes any drawdown action on the John Day Pool and the four lower Snake River dams, lowering the reservoir below existing or conventional operating ranges, strongly opposes the implementation of any federal or state agency actions that call upon the residents of Benton and Franklin counties to be subjected to negative economic impacts when the salmon benefits of such measures cannot be demonstrated with reasonable and practical assurances, and the City of Pasco strongly supports alternative recovery plans that rely on biological and cost-effectiveness criteria PASSED by the City Council of the City of Pasco at a regular meeting this 15th day of May, 1995 CITY OF PASCO: ATTEST: Catherine D. Seaman, Deputy City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: Resolution opposing the proposed Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan Page 2