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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=5
color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:16.0pt;color:black;
text-transform:uppercase;font-weight:bold'>REP. Miller and West coast DEMOCrats
<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=5
color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:16.0pt;color:black;
text-transform:uppercase;font-weight:bold'>FIGHT FOR federal aid to salmon
Fishermen <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=3 color=black
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>WASHINGTON</span></font></st1:City><font
color=black><span style='color:black'>, <st1:State w:st="on">DC</st1:State> - <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>Rep. George Miller</span></b> (D-CA) and other West
Coast Democrats vowed today to block regular order in the House of Representatives
in an effort to win $81 million in immediate disaster relief to the salmon
fishermen and women of <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> and <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> and the
businesses and communities that depend on them. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Despite the near-total closure of the 2006
salmon season and the destruction of the Klamath fishery, the Bush
Administration has refused to declare a federal disaster in this industry.
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Rep. Mike Thompson</span></b> (D-CA) is
proposing an amendment to provide $81 million in aid to the affected businesses
and communities but House Republican leaders are refusing to allow the House to
debate or vote on his amendment. The West Coast Democratic lawmakers
promised today to delay regular order in the House because their right to offer
this amendment is being denied. The House is considering a federal
spending bill that directly relates to the fishing industry, among other
issues.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"President Bush and his radical
rubberstamp Republican allies in Congress have simply abandoned salmon
fishermen, small businesses and local communities along the west coast,"
said Miller. "Democrats in the House have not abandoned our
communities and we will do everything we can to fight for the federal aid that
they deserve during this difficult fishing season.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"The question is whether President
Bush is on the side of these small businessmen and women or not. He has been
unwilling to help these families, despite his party's rhetoric claiming to be
on the side of small businesses," Miller added. "Apparently, this
Administration plans to do nothing until fishermen and their communities have
lost their boats and gone bankrupt before they make a decision on this critical
issue. But they could declare an emergency and provide immediate relief
to the families who are hurting if they wanted to do that. The Republican
leadership needs to stop thwarting our efforts to help west coast communities
and small businesses in the fishing industry and allow the House to vote on the
Thompson amendment."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Miller noted that the rights of the
minority in Congress have been severely limited under GOP rule.
Frequently, Democrats are not allowed to offer amendments that are relevant to
the bill under consideration at that time. But there are still tools
lawmakers can use to block or delay regular order to make the point that they
deserve to have their amendments considered. The lawmakers promised today
to use those tools to pressure the Republican leadership to allow the Thompson
amendment to be considered. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><u><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></font></u></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><u><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'>Background on 2006 Salmon
Fisheries Crisis<o:p></o:p></span></font></u></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black;
font-weight:bold'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Several Democratic members co-authored
legislation (H.R.5213) this year to address both the short- and long-term
problems plaguing the Klamath fishery. Miller, Thompson, and others have also
repeatedly asked the Department of Commerce to declare a disaster so that
Congress can provide immediate assistance to the affected fishermen and women
and communities. The Department has refused to do so and says it may be
impossible to make such a declaration until February 2007. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>The Klamath River runs from <st1:State
w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State> through <st1:place w:st="on">Northern California</st1:place>,
and has been badly mismanaged by the Bush administration for political gain.
In 2002, on behalf of the farm industry, the Bush Administration
directed water to be diverted from the river, which resulted in a massive fish
kill. This year's drastically reduced number of returning salmon is directly
attributable to the 2002 fish kill and a parasitic infection resulting from
poor federal management of the river.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Here's how the <a
href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-hamburger25jun25,1,3293272.story?ctrack=1&cset=true"
title="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-hamburger25jun25,1,3293272.story?ctrack=1&cset=true"><font
color=black
title="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-hamburger25jun25,1,3293272.story?ctrack=1&cset=true"><span
title="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-hamburger25jun25,1,3293272.story?ctrack=1&cset=true"><span
style='color:black'>LA Times</span></span></font></a> wrote about the
Administration's actions.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"All administrations are political,
of course. But never before has the White House inserted electoral priorities
into Cabinet agencies with such regularity and deliberation. Before the 2002
midterm elections, for instance, Rove or Mehlman visited with the managers of
many federal agencies to share polling information and discuss how policy
decisions might affect key races.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>"In 2002, Rove told Interior
Department officials of the importance of helping farmers in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> whose political support was crucial
to Gordon Smith, a vulnerable Republican senator. Within months, perhaps
because of Rove's exhortations, the agency did just that, supporting the
diversion of water from the environmentally important <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath
River</st1:place> for the sake of irrigating farmland. Thousands of salmon
eventually died in the newly shallow waters. But the senator secured his
reelection."<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><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'>Advisor, 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
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
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>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><em><i><font
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'>415 383 9562 fx</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></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><em><i><u><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>http:www.caltrout.org</span></font></u><font
color=lime><span style='color:lime'> </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'> </span><o:p></o:p></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>
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