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Time to Apologize by Dan Drais Seattle Times, September 21, 2009

At last the federal agencies admit the failure of their dam-centric plans to recover wild salmon without breaching the Snake River dams. They also acknowledge that it is too late to do anything to bring the fish back, but will they have the courage to go to the fishing communities they have destroyed and make their apologies?

The new position announced by Jane Lubchenco, head of NOAA, and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke is no more serious than the ones that have preceded it.

Their plan follows the same guidelines: After these endangered runs of salmon lose 90 percent of their population, then the government will begin a minimum of eight years of plans and studies to decide whether to remove any dams.

As I understand it, the judge told the federal government the Bush plan was not going to pass muster. What appalling arrogance and a colossal waste of taxpayer funds it is to embrace the plan despite the court's warning.