[env-trinity] Eureka Reporter

[Byron Leydecker]

Tribe holds Congress to river restoration promises

Eureka Reporter - 10/28/07

 

The Hoopa Valley Tribe of Northern California has notified Congress and San
Joaquin River restoration supporters of the tribe's concern the plan for the
San Joaquin is fiscally gluttonous and could drain restoration funds from
the Trinity River, which bisects the Hoopa Valley Reservation. 

"They risk killing a living river and the fish in it if the San Joaquin
legislation (HR 24/S. 27) becomes a new consumer of California's river
restoration funding," said Hoopa Valley Tribal Council Chairperson Clifford
Lyle Marshall. 

In an Oct. 23 letter, the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council asked 10 members of
California's congressional delegation to change the funding mechanism for
the San Joaquin River restoration and support legislation authored by U.S.
Rep. Mike Thompson and co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. George Miller (HR 2733) to
ensure the promise of restoration for the Trinity River.

In the letter, the tribe also notes federal funding shortfalls for the
restoration of the Trinity River are allowing fish habitat to worsen. "Our
tribal fishery is failing because of a collapse of the fish populations in
the Klamath and Trinity rivers," Marshall noted. 

The Hoopa Valley Tribal Council sent the letter to key members of Congress
stating, "We need your assistance to ensure that the federal government's
prior commitment and trust responsibility for Trinity restoration are not
sacrificed to the San Joaquin settlement." 

Since the San Joaquin settlement was first introduced in the fall of last
year, the tribe has said the legislation's funding mechanism will be used by
the administration to divert restoration monies from the Trinity River
restoration program approved in December 2000. 

Congressional representatives, environmental groups, water and power
contractors in the Central Valley and administration officials have asked
the Hoopa Valley Tribe not to oppose the San Joaquin legislation. The
tribe's letter replies the tribe can only drop opposition to the San Joaquin
restoration if funding for the Trinity River restoration is assured with HR
2733.

Marshall said the federal government betrayed its promises to restore the
Trinity River when administration officials refused to support HR 2733
during a Sept. 18 House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing on the bill.
The tribe supports HR 2733 as a way to bolster sagging federal restoration
efforts on the Trinity River.

"We support river restoration throughout California, but Congress must
recognize the San Joaquin restoration legislation could allow the Interior
Department to create a billion-dollar vortex that will suck up available
restoration funding for California rivers, including the Trinity," Marshall
said.

He said the Trinity River restoration project is underfunded by $8 million
annually and is seven years behind schedule, according to estimates
developed this year by the secretary of the Interior Department and the
tribe. "Shifting limited funds to San Joaquin will reduce funding for
Trinity River restoration further," he said.

"Funding for the Trinity needs to be identified and confirmed now because
conditions have worsened for the Trinity and Klamath rivers fishery." 

Marshall said the Trinity River is the only tributary to the Klamath River
producing quantities of salmon available for local harvest. 

"If the Trinity River goes down, so goes fishing for native people, sports
fishermen and the commercial fishing industry for 900 miles of the Northern
California and Oregon coastline. The San Joaquin will take decades to
restore. Funding for the Trinity will produce immediate returns on
investment and immediate benefits to the coastal communities that rely on
the salmon."

Marshall said the Hoopa Valley Tribe would like to continue talks with Sen.
Dianne Feinstein about restoration of the Trinity River.

"The Senator has been a friend to the Trinity River in the past. I think she
is concerned that the Bureau of Reclamation is only committing half of the
money it should on the government's promise to restore the Trinity River.
Congressman Thompson's Bill will fix the annual funding shortfall. We hope
she will introduce the same bill in the Senate."

The federal government began diverting Trinity River waters to the Central
Valley in l964, but promised enough water would be retained for the river's
fish and wildlife. Since then, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has allowed up
to 90 percent of the river's water to be diverted. In the l980s, Congress
recognized the diversion had caused an 80 percent reduction in salmon
populations. In 1992, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act was passed
to create funding for environmental restoration of California rivers harmed
by commercial water users. 

In 2000, a Record of Decision agreement was signed by the Hoopa Valley Tribe
and the U.S. Department of Interior for meeting federal trust
responsibilities to restore and maintain the Hoopa Valley Tribe's fishery.
Since then, the tribe has had to litigate against Central Valley interests
opposed to giving up water for fishery restoration and fight for restoration
monies from the BOR.

"The San Joaquin settlement is the latest blow to Trinity River
restoration," Marshall said.

 

 

Byron Leydecker

Friends of Trinity River, Chair

California Trout, Inc., Advisor

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810 

415 519 4810 cell

bwl3 at comcast.net

bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org

http://www.fotr.org

http://www.caltrout.org

 <http://www.fotr.org>  

 

 

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