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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Yeah, and pigs can fly. <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>The established policy/procedure process
was not followed. See my letter of last Friday, the final day for
comments. <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Since the ruling has been made, it’s
obvious the agency did not bother to review extensive comments from several
organizations. If anyone wants more factual information to review, let me
know. There’s a mountain of it. You’d have to start by
reading OCAP, which is about 700 pages, as I recall. <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><u><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:
none'> </span></o:p></span></font></u></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><u><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>This issue is critical to <st1:place
w:st="on">Northern California</st1:place> rivers</span></font></u>.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Delta water shift will not hurt endangered species,
agency says</span></font></b></strong><font size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Associated Press - 10/23/04</span></font></b></strong><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>By Don Thompson, staff writer</span></font></b></strong><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:13.5pt'>SACRAMENTO</span></font></st1:City><font size=4><span
style='font-size:13.5pt'> - A federal agency ruled Friday that shifting more
Northern California water to <st1:place w:st="on">Southern California</st1:place>
will not jeopardize five threatened or endangered species of fish. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
ruling clears the way for the federal Bureau of Reclamation and state
Department of Water Resources to sign long-term water contracts with rural
irrigation districts and urban water districts. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>They also
can continue with plans to pump more water through the fragile Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta to thirsty <st1:place w:st="on">Southern California</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Environmental
groups have fought the expected decision by NOAA Fisheries, formerly known as
the National Marine Fisheries Service, alleging it was politically motivated. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>They cite
draft biological opinions that said the water transfer would imperil the fish. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Jim
Lecky, NOAA Fisheries' assistant regional administrator for protective
resources, denied any outside influence or improper altering of the final
decision. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Changing
the ultimate recommendation was "just typical project management oversight
and supervision," Lecky said. "There was some analysis that was
faulty and needed to get a second look, and that's what we did." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The three
major species at the heart of the opinion are the Sacramento River winter
chinook run, the Central Valley spring chinook run, and the <st1:place w:st="on">Central
Valley</st1:place> steelhead. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Also
considered was danger to Southern Oregon-Northern California Coast coho salmon
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Central</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> steelhead. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
350-page decision concludes none are likely to be jeopardized. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>It
includes requirements to try to minimize fish kills by maintaining cold water
in the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place> to aid winter run
salmon and establishing fish kill thresholds that would require the Bureau of
Reclamation to stop pumping water through the Delta, Lecky said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>A task
force would help set cold water requirements each May 1, based largely on how
much water had been stored from the winter rain and snowfall, he said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Friday's
decision "will become the underpinning ... of long-term contracts that the
bureau will consider later this year," Lecky said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
federal reclamation bureau and state water department want to integrate their
parallel reservoir and pumping systems, sign dozens of water contracts lasting
25 to 40 years, and send 27 percent more water south through the state's Harvey
O. Banks Pumping Plant near Stockton. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:13.5pt'>California</span></font></st1:place></st1:State><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>'s two Democratic U.S. senators and a
half-dozen Democratic House members, including House Democratic Leader Nancy
Pelosi, have called for delays and more information before water regulators
act. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Barry
Nelson of the Natural Resources Defense Council criticized the agency for
signing the biological opinion before the inspector generals of the Commerce
and Interior departments complete their investigations of whether the
reclamation bureau improperly influenced NOAA Fisheries to alter initial draft
findings that the water transfer could endanger fish species. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>"What
the bureau is attempting to do is bring Klamath-style management to the Bay and
Delta," Nelson said. The reference was to alleged political influence on
federal decisions affecting the Klamath River in Northern California and
south-central <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>
that allegedly contributed to one of the nation's largest fish kills in 2002. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Nelson,
also criticized the state and federal water agencies for continuing with the
proposed water transfers unilaterally, instead of working through the open and
collaborative California Federal Bay-Delta Program, commonly known as CalFed.
He had not seen Friday's decision and could not comment on its specifics. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><em><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker</span></font></i></em></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends of <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Consultant, California Trout, Inc.</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><em><i><font
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color:gray'>PO Box</span></font></i></em></st1:Street><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'> 2327</span></font></i></em></st1:address><o:p></o:p></p>
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size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>Mill Valley</span></font></i></em></st1:City><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">94942-2327</st1:PostalCode></span></font></i></em></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 ph</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810 ce</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 9562 fx</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"><span style='text-decoration:none'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></font></i></em></a><em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"> (secondary)</font></i></em><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="http://www.fotr.org">http://www.fotr.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-style:italic'><a href="http://www.caltrout.org">http://www.caltrout.org</a></span><o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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