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