OLYMPIA—Association of Washington Business President Don C. Brunell said today the $40.5 million deal to improve salmon habitat on the Washington side of the Columbia River is welcome news.

The Obama administration finalized the deal Wednesday with Gov. Chris Gregoire, a day after the administration submitted a new plan to guide the operation of hydroelectric dams and fish conservations programs on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

Gregoire, who supports the Columbia-Snake River Biological Opinion (BiOp) to restore wild salmon and steelhead runs while balancing other rivers uses, positioned Washington well to receive the funding from the Obama Administration, Brunell said. 

Oregon received no funding because Gov. Ted Kulongoski is suing the federal government over the plan.  

“Gov. Gregoire has consistently supported moving on with fish restoration and river management.  Getting the issues out of the courtroom and into the stream is important for fish and people,” Brunell said. “Hopefully, she can persuade Gov. Kulongoski to support the plan and get restoration money for Oregon streams and estuaries.”

According to Vancouver’s Columbian, habitat-related work in Clark County accounts for eight of the 21 estuary projects underwritten by the money, which will be spent over the next nine years. Washington gets the money in return for endorsing the legality of the latest federal plan to balance the operation of federal hydropower dams with 13 runs of threatened or endangered salmon and steelhead.

Unfortunately, in his decision, President Obama left open the possibility of dam breaching on the Snake River.  Gregoire, along with most major elected officials in the Northwest, has opposed the idea of breaching the dams in eastern Washington.

“We agree with Gov. Gregoire that dam breaching should not be an option,” Brunell concluded. 

About the Association of Washington Business
Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 6,700 members representing 650,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit www.awb.org.