GOP presidential contender George W. Bush told residents of Washington state yesterday that four dams on the lower Snake River in southeastern Washington should not be breached to help save wild salmon, a position that puts him at odds with enviros. Bush’s challenger, Sen. John McCain (R), said last week that he would not rule out the option of breaching if scientific studies determine that it’s necessary to save the fish runs. McCain has criticized federal studies on restoring Northwest salmon as “pork barrel spending,” but said he was opposed to the way money was added to congressional spending bills, not to the goal of the studies. The Clinton administration is now considering whether to recommend to Congress that dams be breached as part of a program to help restore threatened salmon runs in the Columbia River basin.
