Contact:
2/2/2001 -- -- Contact:
Jeff Curtis, Western Conservation Director, TU: 503-827-5700; 503-351-2492 (cell)
Alan Moore, Western Communications Coordinator, TU: 503-827-5700; 503-319-2210 (cell)
February 2, 2001. Portland, Ore....Trout Unlimited commends the Western Governors' Association for hosting today's Energy Policy Roundtable. It is the position of Trout Unlimited that the energy problems in the spotlight this winter are inextricably linked to the crisis facing endangered Northwest salmon stocks, and that both will require real, long-term and complimentary strategies to resolve.
"The region is in this fix because of several factors converging on us at once, not the least of which are short-sightedness and poor planning. Our main interest is in seeking real, workable, long-term solutions to both the salmon and energy crises here in the region and beyond," said Jeff Curtis, Western Conservation Director of Trout Unlimited. "It is incumbent upon leaders like those assembled here today to seek out and implement those solutions. We applaud them for making the effort."
Trout Unlimited maintains that the Northwest's hydropower resources and its centuries-old wild salmon heritage can and must find ways to work together to the benefit of power users and to the salmon that have survived here for millenia.
"Salmon and energy in the Northwest need not be mutually exclusive;" said Curtis, "this is not an all-or-nothing equation. But we need to ensure that we correct the poor planning that brought us to this crisis point in both arenas. The citizens of the Northwest must not be forced to choose one over the other."
Trout Unlimited supports a long-term energy strategy that focuses on efficiency, conservation, and renewable sources in concert with responsible stewardship of the region's wild fish resources.
Trout Unlimited's mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America's trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. TU is supported by over 125,000 members nationwide.
Date: 2/2/2001