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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><img width=672
height=129 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01C7B97E.E45A75E0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Allyson Ivins Groff<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:center'><b><font
size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:
bold'>June 28,
2007
202-226-9019<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=5
face=Arial><span style='font-size:17.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>Rahall
to Continue Probe of Politicization of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Endangered</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Species</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Act</st1:PlaceName><br>
</span></font></b><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font size=4
face=Arial><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Klamath</span></font></st1:PlaceName><font
size=4 face=Arial><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">River Basin</st1:PlaceType></span></font></st1:place><font size=4
face=Arial><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:Arial'> to be on agenda</span></font><b><font
size=4 face=Arial><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:
bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=5
face=Arial><span style='font-size:17.5pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><st1:City w:st="on"><b><font
size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:
bold'>Washington</span></font></b></st1:City><b><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>, <st1:State w:st="on">D.C.</st1:State>
- </span></font></b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>Late
Wednesday evening, U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), Chairman of the House
Natural Resources Committee, received a letter from 36 House Democrats from <st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State> and <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>
calling for an oversight hearing on the alarming role Vice President Dick
Cheney may have played in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Klamath</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">River Basin</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
decisions. As reported by the <i><span style='font-style:italic'>Washington
Post</span></i> on June 27, 2007, Cheney's intervention in the development of a
10-year water plan for the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>
resulted in a 2002 die-off of around 70,000 salmon near the California-Oregon
border - the largest adult salmon kill in the history of the West. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Today, Rep. Rahall
released the following statement in response to the request from House
Democrats:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>"This
Committee has already begun examining the penchant for this Administration to
favor politics over science in the implementation of the Endangered Species
Act, which was highlighted during a May 9<sup>th</sup> hearing and in the
resignation of the Interior Department's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish
and Wildlife and Parks over the fiasco. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>"In light of
the revelations being made over the situation in the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Klamath</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">River Basin</st1:PlaceType>, it is my intention to
again convene the Committee to delve into the issues raised by the Members of
Congress from <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place>. It certainly appears this
Administration will stop at nothing to achieve political gain from natural
resources disasters. Ultimately, it will be hardworking Americans and
their healthy environment that will lose if we fail to act."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>-30-<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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