Editorial, May 28th, 2010
Federal District Judge James Redden is getting an updated operating plan for the Columbia River hydro system. He will decide if it is a technical fix he sought, or whether it provides him with reassurances about backup plans for changing river and fish conditions.
Years of battling about how best to manage the Columbia River hydroelectric system without doing greater harm to endangered salmon and steelhead is coming to another decision point.
Attempts to craft a workable plan for a spectrum of needs and uses — power, irrigation, flood control, navigation and recreation — have exhausted Cabinet secretaries and frustrated environmentalists.
The Obama administration seeks approval for a massaged Bush administration plan, and it faces a tough arbiter, federal District Judge James Redden.
Read more of the Seattle Times Editorial, "Crafting the operating manual for the Columbia River system."
