Thompson decries VP's Klamath interference

The Times-Standard

August 2, 2007

After new evidence was revealed during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on whether government officials manipulated science in order to divert water from the Klamath River , North Coast Rep. Mike Thompson issued a statement blasting that abuse of the process.

”(Tuesday's) hearing is clear evidence that the scientific process behind the water diversion was purposely manipulated by government officials,” said Thompson. “Sidestepping this process led to an illegal water plan that contributed to the largest adult salmon kill in the West.”

The Department of Commerce's inspector general testified that department officials bypassed key oversight mechanisms when creating a biological opinion on how a water diversion would affect endangered fish in the Klamath.

The final biological opinion, which was later found in violation of the Endangered Species Act, contributed to the deaths of roughly 80,000 spawning salmon.

The hearing was held by the House Natural Resources Committee in response to a request made by Thompson and 35 of his Democratic colleagues from California and Oregon .

They called for the hearing because of the reported pressure Vice President Dick Cheney placed upon the Department of Interior to, as the Washington Post stated in its June investigative report, “prioritize economic interests over protected fish.”

The Post reported that the vice president called for water to be diverted from the Klamath River Basin to farms in Oregon in order to secure the farmers' votes.

Cheney declined to testify at the hearing.

”The history of political strong-arming in the Klamath is despicable,” said Thompson.

“Fortunately, a silver lining has begun to form. Stakeholders in the Klamath River Basin are working together on a plan to recover the fish and help the farmers who need water for their land.

”I believe there is room for both the fishers and the farmers, but we must ensure the government's future involvement is transparent and honest,” Thompson said. “To that end, I am committed to continuing this investigation and improving the oversight process.”