CAVEATS ---I have NOT researched the following assertions for accuracy. This is a compilation from one of the save-the-salmon orgs so is likely biased. The full report is here.
http://www.wildsalmon.org/about/timeline.htm LONG LIST FOLLOWS....
2001
February 16, 2001
Federal Dams Violate Clean Water Act
A federal court declares that the Bush Administration's operation of the four lower Snake River dams violates the Clean Water Act for high river temperatures. The court orders the administration to craft a plan that would bring the dams into compliance by May 2001.
(National Wildlife Federation v. US Army Corps of Engineers, 132 F. Supp. 2d 876 (D. Or. 2001).)
March 7, 2001
Fish Protections on Forestlands Withdrawn
Under pressure from the timber industry, the Bush Administration withdraws a plan to protect two listed salmon and steelhead species in public forests in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and Idaho. A subsequent salmon protection plan has yet to be released, exposing threatened and endangered fish to habitat degradation caused by logging, road building, grazing, and mining on public lands.
(Letters from U.S. Dept of Interior to Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management withdrawing the Supplement to the PACFISH/INFISH Biological Opinions issued January 19, 2001)
April 3, 2001
Klamath Basin Salmon Needs Ignored
A federal court finds the Bush Administration violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in its operation of the Klamath Irrigation Project by failing to consider its impacts on salmon. The court orders the federal government to consult with fish and wildlife agencies to reduce the potential for extinction of Klamath River coho salmon and other ESA-listed Klamath Basin fish.
(Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations v. United States Bureau of Reclamation, 138 F. Supp. 2d 1228 (N.D. Cal. 2001).)
February 16, 2001
Federal Dams Violate Clean Water Act
A federal court declares that the Bush Administration's operation of the four lower Snake River dams violates the Clean Water Act for high river temperatures. The court orders the administration to craft a plan that would bring the dams into compliance by May 2001.
(National Wildlife Federation v. US Army Corps of Engineers, 132 F. Supp. 2d 876 (D. Or. 2001).)
April 3, 2001
Young Salmon Funneled Through Deadly Dam Turbines
The Bush Administration abandons critical salmon protections in the Columbia and Snake Rivers Salmon Plan during the 2001 drought in favor of maximized hydroelectric production. As a result, young salmon suffer the deadliest in-river migration since salmon were first listed under the Endangered Species Act.
(Fish Passage Center, 2001 Juvenile Salmon Migration: Preliminary Analysis, October 2001.)
May 2, 2001
Upper Snake River Plan Shortchanges Water for Salmon
The Bush Administration unveils a plan to operate 10 federal irrigation projects in the upper Snake River Basin in Idaho - an important source of water for 12 species of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead. In violation of the Endangered Species Act, the plan fails to ensure that enough water flows downstream to aid the salmon migration in the lower Columbia and Snake rivers.
(National Marine Fisheries Service, Biological Opinion: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Operations and Maintenance of its Projects in the Snake River Basin above Brownlee Dam, May 5, 2001; Letter from Advocates for the West to U.S. Dept of Interior, et al., Re: Notice of Intent to Sue for Violations of the Endangered Species Act Over Upper Snake Reclamation Projects, August 22, 2003.)
May 4, 2001
Roadless Rule Demolished
The Bush Administration announces its plan to dismantle the "Roadless Rule," designed to protect pristine rivers and streams, drinking water, and native fish and wildlife on nearly 60 million acres of roadless public forestland. Many of the Northwest's remaining healthy salmon and steelhead fisheries are found in rivers surrounded by roadless areas, including the Rogue and Umpqua River basins in Oregon, and the Salmon River Basin in Idaho.
(U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, News Release, May 4, 2001,
http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2001/05/0075.htm.) May 14, 2001
Military Exemptions from Environmental Laws Planned
The Bush Administration launches a lengthy effort to exempt the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) from some of the nation's key environmental laws, such as the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Among other things, the far-reaching proposals would give the DOD a free pass to ignore key facets of endangered species recovery.
(Memo from Office of the Under Secretary of Defense to Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, et al, re: Marine Encroachment Issues, May 14, 2001.)
August 16, 2001
Federal Dams Violate Clean Water Act
Despite a recent court decision that federal dams must comply with the Clean Water Act (CWA), the administration allows water temperatures in the lower Snake River to exceed the CWA standard by 10°F, reaching up to 78.4°F. Summer water temperatures approached or exceeded lethal levels for salmon 83% of the migration time in the lower Snake and 85% of the time in the lower Columbia.
(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NWD, Columbia Basin Research, University of Washington,
http://www.cbr.washington.edu/dart/river.html; American Rivers, Salmon Migration Report Card, 2001.)
November 9, 2001
Coho Salmon Protections Abandoned
The Bush Administration refuses to appeal the removal of Oregon coastal coho salmon from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list after a federal court decision sets aside these coho protections.
(U.S. Department of Commerce News, NOAA 01-113, Federal Register, Vol. 67, No. 28, Page 6215 (November 9, 2001).)
December 31, 2001
Columbia/Snake Salmon Plan Ignored
For the year 2001, the Bush Administration implemented less than 25% and secured funding for less than 50% of the measures called for in the federal Salmon Plan for Columbia and Snake River salmon.
(Report Card on Federal Salmon Plan, 2001, Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition (February 27, 2002).)
2002
February 14, 2002
Climate Plan Threatens Salmon
The Bush Administration unveils a plan to weaken the Clean Air Act by relaxing limitations on pollution. The proposal fails to set any limit on carbon dioxide pollution, a major cause of global climate change. Global climate change - which scientists say will lead to higher river and ocean temperatures, droughts, and floods - is a major threat to salmon survival in the Northwest.
(President Bush Announces Clear Skies & Global Climate Change Initiatives, Silver Spring, Maryland (February 14, 2002);
http://www.whitehouse. gov/news/releases/2002/02/print/20020212-5.html.)
March 3, 2002
Columbia River Dredging Benefits Inflated
Investigative reporting shows that the federal government artificially inflated the benefits of its plan to dredge 103.5 miles of the Columbia River and its estuary by both using outdated information and omitting other relevant information. The Columbia River estuary provides essential habitat for threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead. Dredging would threaten this habitat.
(Barnett, Jim, et al., Port's quest to deepen Columbia built on flawed, outdated data; Key parts of corps analysis don't hold water, The Oregonian, March 3, 2002.)
April 30, 2002
Salmon Denied Habitat Protection
The Bush Administration refuses to defend critical habitat designations - a key component of endangered species recovery - for 19 salmon and steelhead species up and down the west coast in a lawsuit filed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Instead, the Bush Administration agrees to a deal for NAHB that eliminates the habitat protections in over 150 river basins covering four states.
(National Association of Home Builders v. Evans, Case No. 1:00-CV- 02799 (CKK), Consent Decree (D. D.C. April 30, 2002).)
May 21, 2002
Mining Ban Lifted
The Bush Administration lifts a mining ban on 1.2 million acres in southwest Oregon, 90% of which is in the Siskiyou National Forest. This area contains five National Wild and Scenic Rivers and has the largest concentration of wild, undammed watersheds on the west coast.
(Bureau of Land Management, Cancellation of Proposed Withdrawal and Notice of Proposed Withdrawal, Federal Register, Vol. 67, No. 98, (May 21, 2002).)
May 31, 2002
New Klamath Plan Ignores Fish Needs
The Bush Administration issues its 10-year Klamath Basin water plan in an attempt to comply with the Endangered Species Act. The plan, however, threatens endangered salmon and salmon-based communities by not providing enough water flowing downstream to assist migrating fish.
(National Marine Fisheries Service, Biological Opinion, Klamath Basin Operations, May 31, 2002; Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations v. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, No. C 02- 2006 SBA (N.D. CA. July 15, 2003).)
July 2, 2002
Toxic Pesticides Allowed To Harm Imperiled Salmon
A U.S. District Court rules that the federal government violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to assure that the use of 55 pesticides will not harm salmon. Use of these pesticides was allowed despite the Environmental Protection Agency's recognition of potential significant risk to salmon and their habitat.
(Washington Toxics Coalition v. U.S. EPA et al, Case No. C01-132C, (July 2, 2002).)
July 23, 2002
Federal Dams Violate Clean Water Act
Water temperatures exceed Clean Water Act (CWA) standards in the lower Snake River by nearly 10°F, climbing to 76°F. In 2002, the Bush Administration violates the CWA on the Snake River for 52.8% of the salmon migration period.
(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NWD, Columbia Basin Research, University of Washington,
http://www.cbr.washington.edu/dart/river.html; American Rivers, Salmon Migration Report Card, 2002.)
August 22, 2002
More Logging Threatens Salmon Habitat
President Bush unleashes the misnamed "Healthy Forest Initiative." The new initiative would affect salmon habitat by allowing extensive logging, thinning, and road building throughout National Forests and Bureau of Land Management lands in the name of forest fire prevention.
("President Announces Healthy Forest Initiative; Remarks by the President on Forest Health and Preservation," The Compton Arena, Central Point, OR;
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/ releases/2002/08/print/200208223.html.)
September 19-27, 2002
Klamath Basin Fish Kill
A minimum of 34,000 adult fall chinook, steelhead, trout, and federally protected Klamath River coho were killed before they could spawn - in part, as a result of the Bush Administration's decision to bolster irrigation withdrawals, dangerously reducing river flows for Klamath Basin salmon. The decision resulted in the largest adult fish kill ever recorded on the West Coast. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nearly 80 percent of these fish were wild. Fishingdependent communities suffered at least $20 million in economic losses as a result.
(California Dept. of Fish and Game, September 2002 Klamath River Fish Kill: Preliminary Analysis of Contributing Factors, January 2003; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Klamath River Fish Die-off: Causative Factors of Mortality, November 7, 2003.)
September 27, 2002
Snake River Dredging Would Harm Salmon
The Bush Administration issues a plan to dredge the lower Snake River, habitat for threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead. In December, a federal court halted the plan, finding that it violated the Endangered Species Act and failed to consider appropriate alternatives to dredging.
(National Wildlife Federation v. National Marine Fisheries Service, 235 F. Supp. 2d 1143 (W.D. Wash 2002).)
November 1, 2002
Salmon Science and Economics Suppressed
News reports uncover that the Bush Administration suppressed the release of a government report showing that recreational fishing in the Klamath Basin provides a greater economic boost to the region than agriculture. Just five days earlier, a high-ranking government biologist - Michael Kelly - claimed that the administration overrode scientific reviews recommending increased river flows to protect salmon. A failure to follow those recommendations contributed to the September 2002 fish kill.
(Carlton, Jim. Report Backs Recreation Use of River, The Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2002; Narrative Statement of Michael S. Kelly, Fishery Biologist, National Marine Fisheries Service at
http://www.peer.org/kellynarrative.pdf.) November 25, 2002
Salmon/Forest Protections Dismantled
The Bush Administration launches an effort to dismantle key salmon protections in the Northwest Forest Plan's Aquatic Conservation Strategy - one of the federal government's primary salmon recovery tools in publicly-owned forests - intended to protect and restore damaged salmon habitat on public forestlands west of the Cascades. The proposal would eliminate requirements to protect and prevent damage to site-specific salmon habitat.
(U.S. Department of Agriculture, Clarification of Language in the 1994 Record of Decision for the Northwest Forest Plan, Federal Register, Vol. 67, No. 22, November 25, 2002.)
December 31, 2002
Columbia/Snake Salmon Plan Largely Ignored
In 2002, the Bush Administration implemented less than 30% and secured funding for less than 50% of the measures called for in federal Salmon Plan for the Columbia and Snake River Basin.
(Report Card on Federal Salmon Plan, 2002, Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, February 26, 2003.)
2003
May 7, 2003
Columbia/Snake Salmon Plan Found Illegal
A U.S. District Court rules that the federal Columbia and Snake River Salmon Plan is illegal under the Endangered Species Act. The federal government is given 12 months to correct the plan's deficiencies.
(National Wildlife Federation v. National Marine Fisheries Service, 254 F. Supp 2d 1196 (D. Or. 2003).)
May 26, 2003
Clean Water Act Loophole Sought
News reports indicate that the Bush Administration is considering ways to exempt federal dams from water temperature requirements under the Clean Water Act and stalling a state and federal plan to limit the dams' effect on water quality. A draft government analysis from 2002 showed that dams along the Columbia and Snake River are the primary cause of often lethally hot summer water temperatures for salmon on those rivers.
(Blumenthal, Les. White House Stymies Plan to Help Salmon, Critics Charge, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Washington, May 26, 2003; Environmental Protection Agency, Columbia/Snake Rivers Temperature TMDL, Preliminary Draft (September 13, 2002).)
June 4, 2003
Agencies Shortchange Tribal Treaty Obligations
Members of the Yakama, Nez Perce, and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, among others, testify before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is not meeting treaty obligations. Among the causes of concern are BPA's failure to implement both its own Fish and Wildlife Program and the federal Columbia and Snake River Salmon Plan.
(http://www.senate.gov/~scia/mainpage.htm;
http://www.cbfwf.org/cfsite/ResultTopics.cfm?TopicID=1.) June 4, 2003
Bonneville Power Administration Actions Harm Salmon
At a hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, a U.S. General Accounting Office official testifies that recent Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) actions "have adversely affected fish and wildlife program enhancement efforts." He specifically cited an October 2002 decision by BPA to cut $40 million from its salmon restoration budget.
(Jim Wells, Director, Natural Resources and Environmental Team, U.S. GAO, Testimony before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, June 4, 2003.)
June 19, 2003
Potlatch Corp. Given Permit To Pollute Snake River
The federal government proposes to reissue a Potlatch Corp. paper and pulp mill permit to pollute the lower Snake River in Idaho. Despite an earlier finding that the permit would jeopardize threatened and endangered salmon, the new permit makes matters even worse by allowing Potlatch to continue to dump 90+ºF water into the Snake River.
Environmental Protection Agency, Fact Sheet for Potlatch Corp. NPDES Permit # ID0001163, June 19, 2003; NOAA Fisheries, ESA Section 7 Consultation Biological Opinion on Potlatch Corp. NPDES Permit No.: ID-000116-3, March 17, 2003.)
July 15, 2003
Klamath Plan Found Illegal
10-year water plan to protect threatened Klamath River coho from the harmful effects of the Klamath Irrigation Project. The court said the plan was too uncertain, and its protection measures too speculative, to prevent the extinction of coho or to meet the requirements of the Endangered Species Act, and must be rewritten.
(Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations v. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, No. C 02-2006 SBA (N.D. CA. July 15, 2003).)
July 16, 2003
Toxic Pesticide Use Allowed Despite Court Order
The Bush Administration continues to permit the use of dangerous pesticides along the banks of salmon streams, despite an earlier court ruling that this violates the Endangered Species Act. As a result, the U.S. District Court in Seattle announces that it will impose restrictions on pesticide use that harms salmon by requiring streamside "buffer-zones."
(Washington Toxics Coalition et al v. EPA et al, C01-132C, Order (July 16, 2003).)
July 30, 2003
Federal Dams Violate Clean Water Act Standards
Water temperatures reach 77.7°F in the lower Snake River - nearly 10°F higher than the Clean Water Act standard and well above the range considered lethal for migrating salmon.
(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NWD, Columbia Basin Research, University of Washington,
http://www.cbr.washington.edu/dart/ river.html.)
October 10, 2003
Clean Water Act Exemption Proposed
The Bush Administration announces a proposal to grant federal dam operators in Oregon a virtual exemption from the Clean Water Act's protections against water temperatures that are lethal to salmon. The proposal would cripple Columbia Basin salmon recovery efforts and set a dangerous precedent nationwide.
(Environmental Protection Agency, Water Quality Standards for Oregon; Proposed Rule, Federal Register, Vol. 68, No. 197 (October 10, 2003).)
November 24, 2003
Species Protection Exemptions Signed into Law
President Bush signs into law a bill that exempts the U.S. Department of Defense from key species protection provisions in the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, setting a dangerous precedent for future federal exemptions.
(President Signs Defense Bill, November 24, 2003 at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/11/20031124- 2.html.)
December 8, 2003
Species Protections Sidestepped in Forest Management
Shortly after President Bush signed the so-called "Healthy Forest Act" into law, the Bush Administration finalized regulations that gut key endangered species protections on public lands in the name of forest fire prevention. The new regulations allow the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to decide for themselves whether their logging projects under the National Fire Plan will jeopardize threatened or endangered species, essentially cutting wildlife management agencies out of the process.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Joint Counterpart Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultation Regulations, Final Rule, Federal Register Vol. 68. No. 235 (December 8, 2003).)
December 17, 2003
Snake River Dredging Pushed Forward
Despite an order from a federal judge to the contrary, the Bush Administration releases a one-year proposal to dredge sediment from the lower Snake River - home to threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead. The new plan is nearly identical to a previous dredging plan halted by the court for violating the Endangered Species Act and for failing to consider adequate alternatives to dredging.
(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lower Snake & Clearwater Rivers, Winter Maintenance Dredging, 2004-2005, Public Notice Number CENWW-PM-PD-E 03-0.) [ Photos courtesy of the U.S. Corps of Engineers, The White House, Bonneville Power Administration and the SOS staff and supporters. ]
With a combined membership of over 6 million, Save Our Wild Salmon is a nationwide coalition of businesses, conservation organizations, commercial and sportfishing associations, river groups, and taxpayer advocates working collectively to restore healthy and abundant wild salmon to the rivers and streams of the Pacific
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