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In this issue: Western
states seek Clean Water Act expansion (H.R.2421) House
passes FY2008 Energy & Water Appropriations bill Job
Opening: Rep. Sali
introduces resolution supporting Rep. Bill
Sali (R-ID) introduced a resolution (H. Con. Res.
184) asking Congress to join him in expressing the sense of Congress opposing
removal of dams on the In
introducing the resolution, Rep. Sali said,
�There�s no evidence that breaching the dams will help improve salmon
numbers. But there�s plenty of evidence that The
resolution includes six sections that detail the reasons to oppose dam
breaching. They include: �
The dams are essential to commerce; �
The survivability rate of salmon has increased since the dams have
been in place; �
Breaching dams will not guarantee recovery of salmon; �
The environmental impact of removing the dams would be extremely
damaging; �
The dams provide renewable pollution free energy for the Northwest and
�
Exhaustive studies have been completed that conclude we need to keep
the dams. PNWA
appreciates Rep. Sali�s support for the Staff
contact: Glenn Vanselow Western states seek Clean Water Act expansion
(H.R.2421) Officials
from several western states participated in a House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee hearing July 17th.� Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (D)
testified in support of H.R.2421, the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007. �Reps. John Dingell (D, MI-15) and Jim
Oberstar (D, MI-8) introduced the bill in May to clarify Clean Water Act
regulatory provisions that have become blurred as a result of the Supreme
Court�s Rapanos
decision. The bill
strikes the phrase �navigable waters of the United States and replaces it
with �waters of the United States�, which it defines as �all waters subject
to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and
intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams
(including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats,
wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds,
and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extend that these
waters, or activities affecting these waters, are subject to the legislative
power of Congress under the Constitution.� This
definition would greatly expand the number of projects that require permits
and, possibly, mitigation for potential wetland impacts. Critics of the bill
claim it is the largest ever expansion of federal powers over private
property. They also say the bill does not define �the fullest extent� of the
law, which will increase uncertainty and leave the definition to the courts. The bill
has 167 cosponsors, including Reps. Blumenauer (D, OR-3), DeFazio (D, OR-4),
Dicks (D, WA-6), Hooley (D, OR-5), Inslee (D, WA-1), McDermott (D, WA-7),
Thompson (D, CA-1) and Wu (D, OR-1). PNWA has
been working for many years to improve the federal permitting process. We
have had some significant successes in improving the process while
maintaining high standards for environmental protection.� Examples include the passage of WRDA
Section 214; encouraging the Corps, EPA, Fish and Wildlife and NOAA Fisheries
to agree on timelines and processes to resolve disagreements between the
agencies; and supporting increased funding from Corps headquarters to hire
more permit reviewers. Despite all of these improvements, PNWA members
continue to have difficulty in getting permits reviewed in a timely manner.
Our members have also experienced inconsistency in the application of review
standards and mitigation. We continue to work with the agencies to resolve
these issues. � PNWA
believes that this bill will have a dramatic negative impact on the progress
we have made. Changing the Clean Water Act from �navigable waters of the � PNWA
supports predictability and a common sense approach to permitting activities
in the rivers and harbors of the Northwest.�
If an expanded application of the Clean Water Act is extended to
significant new areas, we would urge Congress to recognize the considerable
burden this would place on agency regulatory staff and by extension the
entities who must apply and wait for permits.� Any new expansion of jurisdiction should be
accompanied by appropriate increases to agency regulatory staff budgets, so
that Staff
contact: Glenn Vanselow House passes FY2008 Energy & Water
Appropriations bill Last week, PNWA detailed the spending report that was released to
accompany the House FY2008 Energy & Water appropriations bill
(H.R.2641).� This report contained the
specific project funding adds that have been proposed by House
members.� This week, that report was
combined with the earlier bill, and was overwhelmingly passed by the
House.� The bill, committee report, and
detailed spending report can all be found at www.pnwa.net, along with PNWA�s
document comparing Administration, House and Senate funding proposals for our
region�s top water projects. During Tuesday�s debate on the spending report, several amendments
were offered which would have removed specific project adds in the bill, and
one amendment would have removed all earmarks.� All of these amendments failed.� It is also important to note that the White
House has issued a message to the House expressing concern with the overall
spending amounts in the bill, and threatened a veto if the eventual bill is
too large.� Tuesday�s final vote on the
bill (312-112) represents a veto-proof majority. Earlier this month, the Senate completed much of the work on their
version of the bill (S.1751), which has cleared both the Senate Energy &
Water appropriations subcommittee as well as the full Appropriations
Committee.� The next step is floor
consideration for the bill.� Once the
Senate passes their bill, the two versions will be reconciled in a conference
committee, likely after Congress returns from August recess. We are pleased to report that the House and Senate bills provide
significant increases for PNWA-supported projects in the Northwest.� This year, the House bill recommends
increases of $9,351,000 for eight PNWA projects, and the Senate bill has
$8,320,000 in additional PNWA priority project funding.� These numbers are increases over and above
the Administration�s recommended funding levels.� PNWA and its diverse membership appreciate
the efforts of our Northwest Congressional delegation, and we will continue
to engage in the appropriations process to meet Northwest needs. As the House and Senate move toward completion of the FY2008 Energy
& Water appropriations bill, PNWA will keep you informed of specific
project funding numbers and important language in the bills.� For more information, or to find out how to
get involved please contact PNWA at 503-234-8550 or www.pnwa.net. Contact: Kristin Meira Job Opening: The This
position will serve as principal resource to the Board of Commissioners and
is responsible for managing and administering all Port operations including a
short line railroad, general aviation airport, and industrial park.� At least
five years of senior executive or administrative experience in local, state,
or federal agency, or a private company of comparable operational and staff
size to the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association www.pnwa.net |
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