Habitat loss and degradation are the leading causes of salmon declines. Urban development, forestry, grazing, road building and a host of other activities have ruined salmon habitat. Recovering Northwest salmon will require protection of remaining habitat, and restoration of degraded habitat. Together, the Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Departments of Interior, Commerce and Agriculture spend over $300 million per year on a wide array of programs in the Columbia and Snake Rivers for species conservation, restoration, facilities, operations and maintenance, and other assistance to entities for salmon activities. In addition, the Bonneville Power Administration provides a significant amount of ratepayer funding to support salmon.
The federal plan for the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) includes a joint
commitment, 1. Improve survival of juvenile and adult migrants through capital investments and operational measures at dams; and, 2) Improve survival in other phases of the life cycle through habitat and estuary improvements, predation control, and hatchery and harvest reforms. These commitments are proportionate where the needs are greatest in the salmon's life cycle.
According to the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, salmon and steelhead anglers spend over $600 million per year in the Northwest. The total economic contribution to the region in terms of hotel and motel stays, restaurant meals, and other indirect fishing-related spending tops $3 billion per year.
With these facts, which was provided by several federal, state agencies, whose goal is to improve the status of our salmon population, have decided to go against their own agencies mission statement and goals. The very agencies that are spending millions to ensure the salmons recovery are the very same agencies that are allowing Northern Star LNG to destroy one of the most crucial salmon, steelhead and other aquatic species critical habitat's at Bradwood.
Not only has these agencies wasted taxpayers money by allowing Northern star to destroy this habitat, they are agreeing to mitigate for habitat elsewhere, a fact that is deliberately being ignored, is if the mitigated area was so good to begin with, the salmon and other aquatic life would already use this area as a habitat. Northern Star has dangled a money carrot in the face of these agencies and now leads these agencies around like a herd of sheep. These agencies have become a contributor to the demise of this species.
Northern Stars' offer for a mitigated area is nothing more than a ruse; Northern Star lacks the financing that is required to mitigate the area. So let's allow Northern Star to destroy an estuary while the carrot continues to dangle.
LNG is an industry that will not add to the economy of the area, instead LNG will be like a sponge soaking up taxpayer funds while the CEO's reap monetary gain from the taxpayers of Clatsop and Columbia Counties. California will reap the benefit of Oregon being their LNG storage facility, at no cost to California, either through tax dollars or the destruction of their environment. A statement made by the governor of California several times. A win win for California and a huge loss to the citizens of Oregon.
While our gutless politicians refuse to stop an industry as dangerous, costly, and detrimental as LNG, we will continue to pour billions down a rat hole to save our salmon, while all the time the corporate hacks will benefit from the very demise of our states valuable resource. SALMON.