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Even today, implementation of the Council's Strategy for 

 Salmon remains highly vineven. The Bonneville Power 

 Administration's selective use of the Strategy for Salmon to 

 determine its funding and operational priorities is still being 

 debated . 



Getting down to specifics, although the Strategy for Salmon 

 calls for drawdown of John Day Reservoir to minimum operating 

 pool and an expedited evaluation of a lower drawdown for Lower 

 Granite Reservoir — and these measures have been expressly 

 endorsed by the Governors of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho — 

 appropriations for these measures have been incomplete and 

 difficult to obtain. Even where funds are available, 

 implementation by the Corps of Engineers seems to be stretching 

 out over decades. 



If we are really serious about salmon recovery, 

 implementation must be fast and complete. The Congress and the 

 Administration will have to work with the region to ensure that 

 the federal dam operators implement the full recovery plan, not 

 simply the parts they agree with. At this point, the fish do not 

 have decades to spare. 



