Salmon Recovery Fund & Proposed Feedlot Needs Further Review

Salmon Recovery Fund & Proposed Feedlot Needs Further Review

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

Earlier this week U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell voiced her concern during an Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee hearing on the developments and opportunities in U.S. fisheries management over an amendment to the fiscal year 2013 continuing appropriations bill H.R. 933 that would completely eliminate the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, which has supported restoration of 34,000 acres of salmon habitat in Washington state over the past decade. Randy Fisher, Executive Director of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission had this to say in response.

FISHER: We are making a lot of improvements in terms of salmon habitat. So if we cut this out we are going to instantly have a problem in terms of some of the habitat work that’s being done by the states and through a lot of the local watershed districts where those funds are actually being spent. So we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater right now. I don’t think it would be timely at all.

During the hearing Senator Cantwell also secured commitment from Eric Schwaab, Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Management at the U.S. Department of Commerce, that NOAA will not back away from Washington state’s successful West Coast groundfish observer program in response to federal budget cuts.

It has been decided by Benton County commissioners to uphold the county planning manager’s earlier decision that a proposed 4,000 head feedlot north of Prosser will need to undergo further environmental review. Odor, traffic, dust, and the effect of the feedlot on water availability were all sited as reasons that an environmental impact statement is needed.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.