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Show Endangered fish act may stop Wh ite River dam Utah Republican Orrin Hatch has warned his Senate colleagues that four "unloved but rare fish" may delay or hold construction of the White River Dam near Bonanza in Uintah County. Hatch said the dam is essential to synthetic fuels development in the arid regions of northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado. "Water reclamation projects, upon which some of the proposed synthetic fuels development hinges, could be stopped through efforts to protect habitat for the Colorado River squawfish. the humped back chub, the bony tail chub and the razorback sucker," said Hatch. "When next you hear of these fish, it may be as part of the debate on special legislation to build the White River Dam." Hatch said recent Department of Interior rulings concerning the Endangered En-dangered Species Act leave no flexibility in the law. and may be used to halt construction of the dam. Citing the case of tiny snail darter and the Tellico Dim. Hatch said "Overzealous dam opponents used the law to thwart the dam's completion." "Congress intended the law to protect ihe planet's gene peils." the Senator continued. "Bad rules are born when good laws are twisted like that." Hatch said he fears that if a conflict develops over any of the four western fish, the issue may be used to keep the dam from being built. The situation is especially ironic, he added, because the four fish involved have in the past been tragets of government -sponsored eradication campaigns. "The squawfish," Hatch said, "is an old enemy to sport fishermen and wildlife managers on the Colorado system Government agencies used to systematically poison the fish out of the river system to allow other more desirable species to thrive. As a consequence, con-sequence, the fish is on the endangered list " "It would be tragic." Hatch told the Senate, "to let this past 'error' of government stand in the w ay of a much needed dam. and stand in the way of this nation's energy independence." |