Dear HCN,
As one involved in
political discussions that led to the Elwha River legislation, and
to progress made for dam removal, I think Adam Burke deserves an A-
(nobody is perfect) for his article “River of dreams” (HCN,
9/24/01: River of dreams).
I am sure Burke
discovered this is a complicated story with many people willing to
claim victory. Much of the credit should be given to the people of
Port Angeles who, in spite of their differences, came together and
worked out an agreement for dam removal that eventually gained
broad political acceptance.
The cooperative
effort among environmental organizations, politicians of both
parties, companies that owned the dams, tribal interests, federal
administration activists and the state of Washington deserves
acclaim. Without all these interests coming together over the last
decade, the project never would have progressed as far as it
has.
Bob
Hartley
Westminster,
Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Port Angeles deserves credit.
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