513 



more test are needed and dam modification becomes necessary, the costs 

 are guaranteed to go into the billions if somebody doesn't stand up and say 

 the that drawdowns are a stupid costly idea that this country cannot afford. 

 The Corp of Engineers and the National Marine Fishery Service can't say 

 it because they have to act within the perimeters of the Endangered Species 

 Act by pursuing all alternatives. BPA won't say it because it sounds too 

 self serving. The Northwest Power Planning Council can't say it because 

 they have to appease Idaho. The administration can't say it because they 

 have to appease environmental interests. Only Congress can say "this 

 costs too much" and the money must be put to better use. Congress ought 

 to say it now. Congress should review the evidence from their own federal 

 agencies concerning the scientific benefits and the associated costs of 

 implementing drawdowns and immediately direct funds to areas of salmon 

 recovery that have some assimilation of cost efficiency. The faster 

 Congress acts, the more money this country will save. 



I've tried to tell you what I think my friends and neighbors would 

 tell you if they had this opportunity to talk to you. In closing, Mr. 

 Chairman, maybe I should at least mention one of the topics you asked me 

 to address since I haven't exactly done that so far. You asked if a new 

 entity should be created with authority to mandate salmon recovery 

 actions. In my opinion, there would make no improvement in efficiency 

 by creating new entities or shifting responsibilities. Congress still would 

 have to make the tough decisions about how much money this country can 

 afford to spend on this one issue. Many people, maybe some here today, 

 have approached this problem as if money is no object and funds are 

 limitless. I don't think that's true. I hope you don't think that's true. And 

 no matter how you restructure the bureaucracy, the buck stops with you. 



This concludes my remarks. 



