Virginia Cramer, virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org, 804-519-8449
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The House today is expected to take up the Salmon Extinction Act, HR 3144. The bill will roll back critical protections for endangered salmon, derail salmon recovery alternatives, and undermine bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. Thirteen wild salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia and Snake River Basin are currently at risk of extinction, none of which have recovered under the inadequate plans the Salmon Extinction Act would continue.
In anticipation, Athan Manuel, director of Public Lands Protection at Sierra Club issued the following response.
“This bill demonstrates an extremely poor understanding of the plight of our salmon and any realistic changes to how to better protect them. Locking in current plans that harm wild salmon, fishing communities, energy consumers and endangered orca is counter-productive. And to do so in a way that undermines our judicial system and basic environmental safeguards is nothing short of irresponsible.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.