After Denial of Pacific Legal Foundation's ``God Squad'' Petition, Interior-Ordered Water Release Appears Largely Symbolic.News Editors/ Legal & Environmental Writers SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 2001 Attorneys representing victims of the Klamath Basin The Klamath Basin is the region in the U.S. states of Oregon and California drained by the Klamath River. It contains most of Klamath County and parts of Lake and Jackson Counties in Oregon, and parts of Del Norte, Humboldt, Modoc, Siskiyou, and Trinity Counties in California. water crisis responded today to an announcement from Interior Secretary Gale Norton Gale Ann Norton (born March 11, 1954) served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. She was the first woman to hold the position. that 75,000 acre-feet of water will be released in the Klamath Basin. "We welcome Secretary Norton's interest and concern in this disaster but the announcement is largely symbolic. There is no question that water is needed and every bit helps. But, by now, the federal government should be announcing its long-term solution to this crisis, instead of announcing the release of water that should have been delivered many month ago during the prime growing season growing season, period during which plant growth takes place. In temperate climates the growing season is limited by seasonal changes in temperature and is defined as the period between the last killing frost of spring and the first killing frost of autumn, at which ," said PLF Noun 1. PLF - a terrorist group formed in 1977 as the result of a split with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; became a satellite of al-Fatah; made terrorist attacks on Israel across the Lebanese border attorney Anne Hayes. "The reality here is that this release validates our belief that government held back too much water in the first place. All along, there have been serious questions about the validity of the science upon which the federal decision to cease water delivery was based. This action appears to be a stop-gap measure intended to pacify pac·i·fy tr.v. pac·i·fied, pac·i·fy·ing, pac·i·fies 1. To ease the anger or agitation of. 2. To end war, fighting, or violence in; establish peace in. an angry community. There is nothing here that suggests we are moving toward a solution to the problem," said Hayes. In early July, PLF filed the only official petition to the government requesting a convening of the "God Squad", a seven-member government panel authorized to grant relief from actions taken under the Endangered Species Act The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1531 et seq.) was enacted to protect animal and plant species from extinction by preserving the ecosystems in which they survive and by providing programs for their conservation. . Water was ordered shut off to 1,400 farm families in early April to protect two species of sucker fish. On July 10, Norton denied the petition citing a legal technicality. |
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