Siskiyou Daily News
July 13, 2001
from http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/display/inn_news/news2.txt

SACRAMENTO - The Senate Natural Resources Committee Democrats voted on a strict party line to kill Assembly Joint Resolution 14 (AJR 14) relating to the Klamath Basin crisis.

The resolution was drafted with bi-partisan Assembly and Senate co-authors in response to the April 6 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biological opinion, which under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), called for increased reservoir levels for the Shortnose and Lost River Sucker fish.

The opinion resulted in the taking of all water from farms, ranches, and wildlife refuges in the basin.

The resolution asks for several things including an independent science based peer review of the biological opinions concerning the Klamath Project and the Klamath River issue.

The resolution also urges Congress to consider amending the ESA to require that federal agencies, in protecting listed species, make all efforts to consider the effects on people and communities.

AJR 14 passed out of the Assembly to the Senate last week after an emotional floor debate with 47 aye votes and 18 noes.

Assemblyman Dick Dickerson (R-Redding), vice-chairman of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee alongside the chairman, Assemblyman Dean Florez (D-Shafter) gave their testimony to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources that the resolution was necessary due to the flawed science in the original biological opinion.

He said the biological opinion only exists because there was no peer review, no hearing process, and no public participation.

"The decision protects one species to the detriment of other species not the least of which is the Bald Eagle," Dickerson said.

The resolution debate was fairly short and non-contentious. Despite the urgings of the bi-partisan authors on the resolution, the AJR failed on party lines.

"I am sickened at the fact that this resolution failed at the hands of political parties.

"This type of politicking only further drives home the message that the politicians in Sacramento and D.C. are out of touch," said Dickerson.

Dickerson said he would make a pitch to each of the members who voted no to try and convince them to change their vote on the next go round.

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