Over the objections of Democrats and enviros, Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) tacked a rider onto a budget bill yesterday that would bar the U.S. government from conducting studies over the next year on the possibility of removing four dams on the Snake River in Washington to help salmon populations. Federal officials say they have no immediate plans to breach the dams, but they want to keep the option on the table and continue studying it. Enviros are also angry about another rider tacked onto a budget bill by Sens. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho) that would let logging supposedly intended to prevent forest fires go forward without the usual environmental reviews. For his part, President Clinton vowed yesterday to veto any budget bills with anti-environmental riders. Clinton: “Once again, too many of these bills are being watered down with riders aimed at weakening public health protections, blocking common-sense efforts to combat climate change, and surrendering public lands to private interests.”
