04/15/05 Sugar tops CAFTA; Top ten again

The debate over the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement and its companion F.T.A. between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic heated up during a Senate Finance Committee hearing this week. Most of the concern was expressed by Senators in western and southern states that produce sugar. Ralph Burton of Idaho based Amalgamated Sugar Company says the U.S. sugar industry agrees with comments made by Wyoming Senator Craig Thomas that C.A.F.T.A.-D.R. would set a precedent for allowing more sugar into the U.S. through this trade deal and similar agreements proposed for the Andean nations, and South America. BURTON: Right now our supply currently meets or exceeds our demand and any over supply that you have caused by new imports will depress prices and cost American farmers money and threaten the family farm. Once again, the environmental group American Rivers has come out with its list of so-called top-ten endangered rivers. Once again, the 2005 list is completely different from the list from the year before and the year previous to that, and so on. But at least the tradition of at least one Northwest river being named to the list continues. This year's recipient is the Skykomish River in Western Washington.The reason is the threat of significant property development and growth along the river in Snohomish County. N.O.A.A. Fisheries has issued a biological opinion on the impacts of twelve federal dams on Idaho's Upper Snake River on salmon and steelhead populations. And in their bio-op, the agency says the dams do not endanger those populations. As a result, the Bureau of Reclamation in Idaho can continue to take two million acre-feet of water a year from reservoirs behind the dams for agricultural use. Meanwhile, the Endangered Species Act could gain more of a foothold in the Puget Sound region of Washington, as N.O.A.A. Fisheries has agreed to study whether Puget Sound steelhead should be protected under E.S.A. Conservation will have a big showcase this August when representatives from all aspects of the matter come together in St.Louis. The 2005 White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation will bring together members of the federal Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, and Defense Departments, E.P.A. and White House Council on Environmental Quality with private citizens, ag and forestry groups, business leaders, heritage and philanthropic groups, and state and local government officials. The goal of the White House Conference is identifying ideas for future conservation and environmental policies and initiatives, while also enhancing and integrating public and private land stewardship.