In Klamath Basin, politics trump science.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Steve Pedery For The Register-Guard

As Americans we expect our government to make decisions about the survival of fish and wildlife based on science. But in the drought-plagued Klamath Basin, science has long taken a back seat to sweetheart deals and political favoritism. Under the Bush administration, fish and wildlife ended up high and dry, while powerful special interest groups ended up with the water.

Those days may be coming to an end. This week, U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, announced he would hold hearings to investigate charges that Vice President Dick Cheney personally intervened to overturn fish restoration efforts in the Klamath, sending scarce water to irrigation interests instead of fish, despite objections from scientists.

That action led to 2002's massive adult fish kill that claimed over 70,000 Klamath River salmon. The catastrophe, together with ongoing kills of water-starved baby salmon each spring, led to fishing restrictions that devastated Oregon and California's commercial salmon fishing industry.

A Washington Post investigation uncovered Cheney's role in this tragedy. Among other things, the report alleges Cheney personally called natural resources managers to demand that they cut water for salmon during a drought year to favor powerful agribusiness interests. According to the Post, Cheney wanted to reward political allies and win re-election votes for U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith.

This isn't the first time politicians have sacrificed the Klamath's fish and wildlife values to achieve political goals. In 2003, The Wall Street Journal alleged that the political motives of White House adviser Karl Rove, not science, had driven federal decisions in the Klamath Basin. And in 2002, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden killed a $175 million restoration bill for the Klamath - legislation that would have benefited both salmon and farmers.

Unfortunately, they haven't stopped exploiting the Klamath yet. As detailed in the Los Angeles Times, the administration and its agribusiness allies have hijacked closed-door talks over the removal of four Klamath River dams, demanding that conservation groups, tribes and fishermen support permanent commercial agricultural development on the Klamath's spectacular national wildlife refuges. In addition, the administration has insisted that all participants agree to guaranteed water deliveries for Klamath agribusiness and support significantly weakened protections for Klamath salmon, bull trout and other endangered fish. That's not how most Americans want our government to operate.

The good news is there are fair and cost-effective solutions. Phasing out commercial farming on the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath national wildlife refuges would improve habitat for wildlife, cut pollution entering the Klamath River, and reduce the demand for water. Removing the lower four Klamath River dams - a move favored by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - would boost salmon numbers by opening 300 miles of former habitat. A voluntary program to compensate farmers who permanently reduce water use in the Klamath and restore rivers and streams would not only help the environment, but also ensure a more stable water supply for irrigation.

Today, the Klamath Basin stands at a crossroads. This latest scandal and the coming investigations into Cheney's actions are yet another example of why Congress needs to act to resolve the environmental crisis facing the Klamath Basin. Continuing to leave the Klamath's fish and wildlife at the mercy of the Bush administration is a recipe for disaster.

It is appalling that the vice president used his influence to recklessly overturn science-based decisions and set off the largest fish kill in Northwest history. But it is even more appalling that five years after the fish kill, little has been done to prevent a repeat.

Steve Pedery is conservation director of Oregon Wild.