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to stop this after-the-fact-type process that we are in and begin to 

 proactively work with the industry and the conservationists to 

 avoid Hstings. 



Where do we think the funding should go? Continued funding for 

 fish and wildhfe and ESA needs throughout the Nation but in par- 

 ticular in the Columbia basin, Northwest and in National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, so we can play at that table. 



I have indicated the scientific areas, two places that we have to 

 finish so we should do a hatchery study, we have looked at trans- 

 portation now, we have looked at gas bubble. We are looking at 

 survival fiows. I think we should do the hatchery study. Let us 

 make sure we know what we are doing in our hatcheries. And then 

 available water studies. We need to know where is the water before 

 we continue to dictate the terms — basically fish need water and 

 how much there is available we have no idea. 



Ms. Unsoeld. The gentlewoman from Washington now. 



Ms. Cantwell. Thank you, Madam Chair. I understand, Mr. 

 Bottiger, they didn't drill you too much while I was gone so I will 

 get back to my original question dealing with the recommendation 

 on the oversight committee and some of those responsibilities. 



I see in your testimony here that basically you urged Bonneville 

 to establish a central coordinating form for implementation of an 

 overall strategy and I guess my questions are the same. If we are 

 really talking about teeth which I personally think that we have 

 to have or else you are still in the least common denominator or 

 group rule kind of decisionmaking, if we are really talking about 

 these issues of making certain that relevant permits and biological 

 opinions and conformance with goals and objectives, I mean we are 

 talking about really meeting the agenda, are you saying that the 

 salmon oversight committee recommendations are not workable or 

 are you saying that the central coordinating form for implementing 

 the strategy would do very similar things? 



Mr. Bottiger. If I can ask you to go with me through the proce- 

 dure. Are we going to pass a Federal law that says that the agen- 

 cies and tribes are no longer the manager of this resource, the Fed- 

 eral Government is, and the Federal Government will tell Bonne- 

 ville when to release water, the Federal Government will decide 

 not to issue any more water withdrawal permits for irrigation. Is 

 this who is in charge of the river because those are the issues. 



Now if you are not going to pass the statute, then the only way 

 you can get there is the Endangered Species Act. You need a listed 

 species. 



Ms. Cantwell. I guess the first question is, do you hold that 

 these things have to be done in a decisionmaking process? It could 

 be a succession and obviously we did a bottom-up planning process 

 and not a top-down when it came to State land-use plans. 



It is interesting both Oregon and Washington have pursued that. 

 We do not have some case history here and complicated agencies 

 working together on strategic plans so are you saying that you 

 don't think that critical function has to be in a successful salmon 

 recovery process, that kind of decisionmaking, are you saying we 

 can still do it by this consensus process? 



Mr. Bottiger. Well, first of all, it is not consensus. The Council 

 votes and it takes six votes, six out of eight votes, to adopt a Coun- 



