For Immediate Release

March 25, 1999

HANFORD REACH DESIGNATION BILL
INTRODUCED IN HOUSE, SENATE TODAY

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the Washington State congressional delegation renewed their effort today to protect the state’s longest unobstructed portion of the Columbia River.

          Congressman Norm Dicks, joined by Reps. Jim McDermott, Adam Smith, Jay Inslee and Brian Baird, introduced legislation in the House Thursday offering federal protection for the 51-mile stretch called Hanford Reach, upstream from Richland, Wash. The bill is similar to legislation introduced in the last session of Congress, Rep. Dicks said, and it is being introduced simultaneously with the effort led in the Senate by Washington Sen. Patty Murray.

          "The bill contains perfecting elements that we believe will improve its chances for passage in the 106th Congress," Rep. Dicks said. It broadens the representation on an advisory panel guiding the application of federal wild and scenic status to this portion of the Columbia, he said.

          "Most importantly, this legislation will protect the last free-flowing stretch of the powerful Columbia River system which has given us so much -- inexpensive power generation, abundant water for irrigation, and decades upon decades of salmon," Rep. Dicks said at a Capitol Hill news conference today. "I am pleased that Senator Murray has once again taken a leadership position on this important issue and I look forward to working with my colleagues here today as well as Congressman Hastings who represents the Tri-Cities area, to protect the river and these vital fish runs," Dicks added.

          The congressman said that federal wild and scenic designation of the Hanford Reach is critical for protection of threatened species of fish. "As we respond to the recent salmon and steelhead listings under the Endangered Species Act, we first must look at the areas that aren’t in trouble and protect any runs that are doing well. The Reach’s free flowing status provides excellent habitat for the Fall Chinook, as well as for runs of steelhead trout and sturgeon," he said.

          The version of the bill introduced in this session of Congress is more inclusive of local residents, local officials, and Native American Tribes, Dicks said. It establishes a commission to help develop a management plan with the federal land managers. It also requires the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Energy to determine the best ways to consolidate the BLM lands on the south side of the river on the Hanford site. To encourage economic development, the bill calls for a study to clear title to lands. It also calls for further study on how to best protect wild and native plants, and to preserve cultural sites of significance to Native Americans.

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