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Show ndanoGrodepoeioG fii ronton svnfuols -' Conflicts between protecting protect-ing the habitat of four unloved un-loved but rare fish and the construction of the White River Dam could stall the nation's development of synthetic syn-thetic fuels, Senator Orrin Hatch, wanred the Senate today, to-day, and that would neces-sitat neces-sitat a change in the law in favor of the dam . Water reclamation projects pro-jects upon which some of the proposed synthetic fuel development hinges, could be stopped through efforts to protect habitat for the Colorado Colo-rado Squawfish, the Humped Back Chub, the Bony Tall Chub, and the Razorback Sucker. Hatch said, 'When next you hear of these fish, It may be as part of the debate de-bate on special legislation to build the White River Dam.' 'Let us hope this situation can be resolved soon. Over zealous dam opponents used a the law to thwart the dam's completion. Congress intended in-tended the law to protect the planet's gene pools. Bad , rules are born when good laws are twisted like that. 'Rulings out of the Department De-partment of Interior leave no flexibility in the law. If a species is endangered you can't do anything to its home. Mitigating the damage dam-age Is not allowed. It has not . been decided whether . you could modify the habitat habi-tat to help the creature, but indications are that you ' could not. So If there Is a conflict between any of these fish and the dam, the law has been misinterpreted to require re-quire a halt of the dam. We will have no alternative but to change the law to Include the flexibility Congress Intended.', In-tended.', The situation has an iron-ic iron-ic twist. Thest four fish have been subject . to government govern-ment sponsored eradication campaigns. It would be tragic, trag-ic, it seems to me, to let this past 'error of govern-, ment stand in the way of a much needed dam, and stand in the way of this nation's energy Independence,'. |