THE CANDIDATES ON REGIONAL ISSUES.Byline: The Register-Guard Where President Bush and challenger John Kerry  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. stand on issues of
importance to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest:
Healthy Forests Restoration Act The legislation allows thinning of trees and removal of underbrush on fire-prone federal forests. It also limits lawsuits and appeals that can slow down logging and thinning. Bush: The president championed this legislation, which drew bipartisan support in Congress. He promotes it as a way to protect homes from catastrophic fires and help timber-dependent local economies. Kerry: The senator was campaigning when the Senate voted on the bill. He has called it too friendly to the timber industry and has proposed modifications to increase protection of communities in fire-prone areas. Roadless area protection The Clinton administration's Roadless Rule, adopted just before President Bill Clinton left office in 2001, conserves 58.5 million acres of roadless areas of national forests - including 2 million acres in Oregon. Bush: He announced plans to repeal the rule and instead leave it to governors to petition the federal government to keep roadless designations for those areas they want protected in their states. Bush has since postponed the repeal until after the election. Kerry: The senator opposes the repeal and has promised to revisit it if elected. Kerry has said the potential repeal threatens important habitat and violates the will of the public. 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. The West's water wars have been typified by the Klamath Basin clash between farmers' irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. needs and the demands of fishermen, Indian tribes and environmentalists that fish protection requires more water be left in stream. Bush: The administration sided with farmers in 2002, diverting water from the Klamath River to water crops. The die-off of 60,000 to 80,000 chinook salmon chinook salmon or king salmon Prized North Pacific food and sport fish (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) of the salmon family. The average weight is about 22 lbs (10 kg), but individuals of 50–80 lbs (22–36 kg) are not unusual. later that year was blamed on low water flows. Kerry: The Democrat has accused Bush of politicizing water policy to curry favor to seek to gain favor by flattery or attentions. See Favor, n. os> to seek to gain favor by flattery, caresses, kindness, or officious civilities. See also: Curry favor from agribusiness. Kerry said he would rely on science and bring stakeholders including tribal and commercial fishermen together to make policy. Salmon Dams, logging, development and agricultural practices have taken a toll on the Northwest's salmon. Twenty-six species of salmon and steelhead in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California are threatened or endangered. Bush: His administration has determined that dams on the Columbia River should not be considered for removal and has said it would count hatchery hatchery a commercial establishment dedicated to the hatching of bird eggs to provide day old chicks and poults to the poultry industry. hatchery liquid the contents of unfertilized eggs. Used in petfood manufacture. fish in assessing the status of wild salmon, a move that could lead to the delisting of threatened or endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. and the subsequent lifting of environmental protections. Kerry: The senator has criticized Bush's lack of funding for salmon recovery. Kerry has said he's not ready to consider dam removal. He wants to appoint a "salmon czar" to answer directly to the White House. Trade Oregon's economy is the fifth-most trade-dependent among the states. Bush: The president announced in an August visit to Portland that he was seeking $15 million to deepen 104 miles of the Columbia River to accommodate deep-channel shipping vessels. He backs the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. Free Trade Act and the World Trade Organization. Kerry: Also backs NAFTA NAFTA in full North American Free Trade Agreement Trade pact signed by Canada, the U.S., and Mexico in 1992, which took effect in 1994. Inspired by the success of the European Community in reducing trade barriers among its members, NAFTA created the world's and the WTO See World Trade Organization. . Has said he would only sign future trade agreements with countries that agree to labor and environmental standards, although they may not be as rigorous as those of the United States. Assisted suicide assisted suicide: see euthanasia. Oregon is the only state that lets doctors prescribe lethal doses of prescription drugs to dying patients. The Bush administration has unsuccessfully challenged Oregon's voter-approved law but has lost at the trial and appellate court A court having jurisdiction to review decisions of a trial-level or other lower court. An unsuccessful party in a lawsuit must file an appeal with an appellate court in order to have the decision reviewed. levels. The U.S. Justice Department is expected to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bush: The president's opposition to the Oregon law is part of his "pro-life" agenda that includes opposition to abortion and to the use of embryonic tissue in stem-cell research. Kerry: The Democrat has said he personally opposes assisted suicide, but would allow the states to continue setting their own medical policies. His position is similar to that of Clinton. |
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