The Bush administration received an “F” from the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition for failing to make progress on protecting endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest. The coalition, which is comprised of regional environmental and conservation organizations, said the administration has not implemented three-quarters of the measures mandated under a salmon-recovery plan adopted in 2000. Since taking office, the administration has provided only half the estimated $900 million per year needed to fund the plan. Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who advises Save Our Wild Salmon, accused the administration of intentionally ignoring the plan, and warned that the feds could wind up in court if they did not begin to take salmon recovery seriously.
