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Salmon Policy by Jennifer Siler The Oregonian, August 25, 2010

Steven Hawley's Aug. 21 opinion piece, "Columbia River basin: Salmon policy still driven by ideology, not science," left me disheartened. In May 2009, I participated in a rally welcoming Obama administration officials to Portland for their "listening tour," when the fate of the Bush-era salmon plan for the Columbia Basin was still up in the air. Many leaders in the Northwest salmon community hoped to meet with administration officials to talk about long-term solutions to restore salmon and lead the region out of a longstanding court battle. This did not occur.

The administration decided to stick with the Bush plan, and it seems that, according to documents from a Freedom of Information Act request, Washington Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell were working to ensure that administration officials met only with government officials supporting the current plan, not conservation groups, fishermen or other concerned citizens. Some politicians simply aren't interested in the opinions of those most affected by their policies.