If Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has her way, the last
free-flowing, undammed stretch of the Columbia River – the Hanford
Reach – will stay that way under federal management. First,
however, Murray has some politicking to do. She and Sen. Slade
Gorton, R-Wash., plan a public hearing June 21 in Mattawa, Wash.,
on the future management of the reach, a sensitive spawning ground
for Chinook salmon (HCN, 1/22/96). On the agenda is a bill Murray
introduced in 1995 to put the reach under federal jurisdiction in
the Wild and Scenic Rivers system. Gorton hasn’t taken a stand on
Murray’s bill – the only specific proposal on the table – though he
has said he favors some local government control. Murray’s proposal
pleases environmentalists, while other parties, including Rep.
Richard “Doc” Hastings, R-Wash., and commissioners of Benton,
Franklin and Grant counties – which share parts of the reach –
favor local control. Groups on both sides of the issue will attend
the hearing, but Murray, Gorton and Hastings say they’ll be there
only to learn. Said Jennifer Parsons, a Gorton spokeswoman, “Slade
is keeping an open mind.”
For information, call
Sen. Murray’s Washington, D.C., office at 202/224-2621, or Sen.
Gorton’s office at 202/224-3441.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Who’ll run Hanford Reach?.
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