Feds' latest Columbia River plan: Play me an old-fashioned melody

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The federal government has just come out with a new biological opinion (BiOp) on how to conduct the operations of its Columbia River system dams. The feds have been issuing Columbia River BiOps since Bill Clinton sat — and did whatever else he did — in the White House. And for all that time, the federal courts have been slapping them down.

The newest version was unveiled on January 17. It looks remarkably similar to the last one, which was prepared by the administration of George W. Bush and repackaged with little substantive change by Obama officials.

LINK (via: Crosscut)

Judge Redden on Saving Salmon: Tear Down Those Dams

In his first interview since stepping down from the Northwest’s landmark legal case over the future of the region’s salmon and its massive network of hydroelectric dams, U.S. District Judge James Redden says four dams on the Lower Snake River should come down.

LINK (via:earthFIX)

Judge Rules Plan Falls Short For Salmon On Columbia And Snake Rivers

U.S. District Court Judge James Redden has once again rejected the federal government's plan to operate hydropower dams in the Columbia River basin without jeopardizing salmon.

The decision sends the exhaustive plan back to federal agencies for a redo for the third time, with a focus on habitat improvement after 2013. The current plan stays in place until 2013, the judge said.

LINK (Via: Oregon Live) - Be sure to read the comments