Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and the Columbia Land Trust recently announced the purchase of 920 acres on the south shore of the Columbia River to benefit salmon, steelhead and other wildlife in Oregon, Idaho and Washington. BPA financed the $5.3 million purchase. These are funds BPA spent in addition to the $850 million dollars BPA spends on fish and wildlife every single year.
We commend BPA for protecting some of the most expensive salmon on the planet but have to ask the question: Why is BPA not willing to spend what they say will be an extra $30 million dollars, a one-time-only expense, to build the I-5 project towers and lines on the Grey Line, through unpopulated areas, protecting all the citizens of Southwest Washington? BPA must think fish and wildlife are more important than people. What does the public have to do to have the same value as fish to BPA — grow gills?
BPA, make our children at least as important as fish.
Les Sarasohn
Vancouver
