04/11/07 Coalition praises water ruling

A federal Appeals Court has upheld a 2005 lower court decision that requires all parties to work together on a regional plan that adequately protects endangered salmon and steelhead. The parties include the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, and Native American Tribes. While not a party in the lawsuit on lower Snake and Columbia systems, the Coalition for Idaho Water hailed the ruling. Norm Semanko says the upper Snake River projects could be indirectly affected. SEMANKO "We're very hopeful that the environmental community that's been litigating this will now stand to the side, allow the process to work, for the parties to come together in a room, all of the fish managers from the federal, the state and tribal agencies and allow them to try to come up with a solution." Semanko says the parties involved in drawing up a new biological opinion have to appear before a federal judge in Portland in June to report on progress and a deadline that looms. SEMANKO "And if there is there's every expectation that the judge will push that deadline back into later this year or early next year." Semanko says the ball may now be in the environmentalist court and they'll have to decide if they want salmon restoration or a continued call for dam removal. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott