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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font><font face=Geneva><span style='font-family:Geneva'>Representative
Rahall Invites Dick Cheney to Testify on Klamath Salmon Kill </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:
auto;text-align:center'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>By Dan Bacher </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt;text-align:auto'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Geneva'>In the latest episode of the
“Klamathgate” scandal now rocking the White House, Representative Nick J.
Rahall (D-WV), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, has invited
Vice President Dick Cheney to testify at a July 31 oversight hearing on his
apparent role in influencing scientific and policy decisions at the Department
of the Interior. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>“As reported in <i><span style='font-style:italic'>The</span></i>
<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 the 2002 die-off of an
estimated 77,000 salmon near the California-Oregon border – and the subsequent
collapse of the West Coast salmon-fishing industry,” said Rahall in a press
release on July 17.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Geneva'>Rahall said the hearing will seek
to examine the causes and consequences of political intervention in the
decision-making process at the Interior Department. He said the hearing occurs
within the context of “an alarming trend” the Committee began exploring at a
May 9 hearing that delved into the role of the former Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks in politicizing the Endangered
Species Act (ESA).</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Geneva'>In a letter to Cheney on Jul 12,
Rahall said, “The Committee on Natural Resources will hold a hearing on July
31, 2007, to examine the role that elected officials and political appointees
within the Administration have played in the scientific decision making
processes under the Endangered Species Act and other laws governing the
conservation and management of our nation's natural resources. I cordially
invite you to testify at this hearing.” </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:9.0pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Geneva'>Referring
to the Washington Post piece, Rahall said, “The article alleges that your
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. We invite you, as a former member of this Committee, to
offer your views on these reports and explain your role in this and other
decisions.” </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:9.0pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Geneva'>Rahall
asked Cheney’s staff to submit electronicallv statements of proposed testimony
to Nancy Locke, Chief Clerk, no later than Friday, July 27, 2007. </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-align:justify;text-indent:9.0pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Geneva'>“Your oral
testimony should not exceed five minutes and should summarize your written
remarks,” stated Rahall. “You may introduce into the record any other
supporting documentation you wish to present in accordance with the enclosed
guidelines.”</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt;text-align:auto'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Geneva'>Earthjustice attorney Kristen
Boyles said she supports Rep. Nick Rahall's invitation to Cheney to testify to
the Committee on the role he played in orchestrating <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath
River</st1:place> diversions. These water diversions devastated the river’s
salmon runs and deeply hurt the fishermen and Indian Tribes that depend on
them, causing over $60 million in damages to coastal economies. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>"Chinook salmon are the mainstay of west coast salmon
fishing and provide the economic underpinnings of coastal communities from
central <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>
to the Canadian border,” said Boyles. “<st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>
salmon were lost in 2002 and in the subsequent years under the Cheney water
diversion plan until it was struck down by a lawsuit brought by Earthjustice on
behalf of commercial fishermen and conservationists. The loss of this renewable
natural resource that provides high quality, natural food was totally avoidable
and hurt many of the people living on the West Coast.”</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>Boyle also encouraged Rahall to invite Jim Lecky of NOAA
Fisheries to testify and explain why he overrode the expert scientific opinion
of his own head Klamath scientist, Michael Kelly, who had warned that the Cheney
plan posed danger to salmon. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>Rahall called for the hearing on June 28, the day after
Representative Mike Thompson, (D-St. Helena) and 35 other House Democrats from <st1:State
w:st="on">California</st1:State> and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>
requested the investigation. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>It will be interesting to see if Cheney accepts Rahall’s
invitation to testify before the House Natural Resources Committee. Regardless
of whether Cheney does or not, it is crucial to the future of the <st1:place
w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place> and the country’s environment that this
oversight hearing results in a thorough and relentless investigation of the
alleged manipulation of science for political purposes by Cheney and other
Administration officials. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>If the Washington Post’s allegations are indeed true,
Cheney and other officials must be held accountable for the damage they have
caused to the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place> fisheries and the
thousands of lives that depend upon the river for their survival.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>References: </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>"Leaving No Tracks" <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State> Post (6/27/07)</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a
href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/leaving_no_tracks/index.html"><font
color=black face=Geneva><span style='font-family:Geneva;color:black;text-decoration:
none'>http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/leaving_no_tracks/index.h</span></font><font
color=black><O:P></O:P></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a
href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/leaving_no_tracks/index.html"><font
color=black face=Geneva><span style='font-family:Geneva;color:black;text-decoration:
none'>tml</span></font></a> </span></font><font face=Geneva><span
style='font-family:Geneva'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>"Federal whistleblower quits, alleges politicization
of science" - AP</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'>(5/19/04)</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a href="http://foi.missouri.edu/whistleblowing/fedwquits.html"><font
color=black face=Geneva><span style='font-family:Geneva;color:black;text-decoration:
none'>http://foi.missouri.edu/whistleblowing/fedwquits.html</span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><i><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva;font-style:italic'> </span></font></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<O:P></O:P>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
text-indent:9.0pt'><i><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva;font-style:italic'> <O:P></O:P></span></font></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Geneva><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Geneva'><O:P></O:P> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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