|
|
|
Reaching a monumental decision
As a child, I always treasured my family's trips to Kennewick from our home in Bothell. My grandfather had settled in the area in 1916, and my family spent our summer vacations in the city where my father grew up. I remember watching the hydros and swimming in the river with my six brothers and sisters. Later, after my sophomore year at Washington State University, I spent a summer working at Sacagawea State Park, at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers. I came to understand the high value people in the Tri-Cities place on their stewardship of the environment. Of course, the rivers aren't just beautiful; they are powerful economic engines. One of them, along with Hanford workers from the Tri-Cities, helped America end World War II and win the Cold War. Whether it's power generation or agriculture, the Tri-Cities and the entire state of Washington would not enjoy the same prosperity and quality of life without this river system. No one wants to undo the progress we have made. But our activities in the region have come at a huge cost. We confront extremely complex problems, such as cleaning up Hanford and keeping our wild salmon populations from becoming extinct. At the same time, we struggle to keep our regional economy vibrant and healthy. For seven years I have worked to find a legislative solution to protect the Hanford Reach. Time and again - just when a compromise seemed possible - something would happen to scuttle the deal. It is not my purpose to assign blame, but it is important to know this has been a very long process. After the last round of negotiations fell apart last winter, I became convinced we were deadlocked. I made a very difficult decision when I asked Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to visit the Hanford Reach and explore administrative options for its protection. In the past, I had told Babbitt not to go that route. I wanted time to work with folks on the ground to develop a regional solution that would consider the concerns of those involved. We cannot wait any longer. Some have challenged my sense of urgency as misplaced, arguing that we have a lot of time to figure this out. We don't. The Hanford Reach spans only 51 of the Columbia River's 1,200 miles, yet it is the site where 80 percent of the entire Columbia Basin's wild fall chinook spawn. One of our state's greatest challenges is to recover native salmon runs. Protecting the region's healthiest spawning ground for chinook salmon is vital. We are asking a great deal of individuals and local communities in these efforts. The federal government also must do its part, or our salmon recovery efforts will fail. Others suggested the Clinton administration is taking unprecedented action in declaring national monuments in its waning days. The first president to use the Antiquities Act was Teddy Roosevelt, who throughout his term set aside land for 18 national monuments, including 922,000 acres for Olympic National Park here in Washington. Now it's time to extend protection to the Hanford Reach, so generations of Americans can enjoy its natural beauty, understand the American Indian history of the land and learn about the area's historical significance and the sacrifices the people of the Tri-Cities have made in order to keep America free. That is the heritage I'm proud of. There is no place for partisan politics in protecting the Reach. If you have floated the Reach, you have seen the scars left on it by human activity. Sloughing along the White Bluffs is narrowing the river channel and dumping fish-killing silt into spawning grounds. Progress to reverse this trend cannot be delayed. This is not about politics - it is about doing the right thing. And doing the right thing means keeping your promises. The people of the Tri-Cities have been given too many broken promises; I do not intend to be another link in that chain. In Congress, a fundamental part of my efforts to protect the Reach has been local involvement in the management of the river. While the opportunity for legislation has passed, I will continue to work with local leaders to ensure that their voices are heard in developing any future management plan. Not everyone will get what they want, but if you will work with me, I will do my best to keep the dialogue door open. As an elected leader, I am often charged with making difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions. Exploring the national monument designation may not be popular with everyone, but I believe time will show protecting the Reach is the right thing to do. I hope the people of the region will work with me to ensure this belief becomes a reality. * U.S. Sen. Patty Murray is a Democrat representing Washington state. | ||