9th Circuit saves salmon center from Republican rider

Tuesday, January 30, 2007  

In a unanimous decision last week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said an appropriations rider inserted by a Republican senator cannot be used to kill funding for a federal center that keeps track of salmon in the Columbia River.

Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) placed the rider in the 2006 energy and water appropriations bill. He claimed the Fish Passage Center, which has collected data that suggests dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers hurt salmon, was employing "false science."

But in a lawsuit brought by the Yakama Nation and environmental groups, the 9th Circuit said the rider doesn't carry the force of law because it was contained in report language and not the bill itself. The tribe has treaty rights on the Columbia River.

Get the Story:
Court ruling on salmon hooks pork (The Hill 1/30)

Court Decision:
Yakama Nation v. BPA (January 24, 2007)

Energy and Water Appropriations:
H.R.2419 | Conference Committee Report 109-275 | Senate Report 109-084 | House Report 109-086

Relevant Links:
Columbia Inter-Tribal Fish Commission - http://www.critfc.org
NOAA Fisheries - http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov

Idaho senator kills salmon counting center (11/30)
Idaho senator inserts rider to kill salmon counting (06/24)