Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) on Wednesday endorsed Bill Bradley for the Democratic presidential nomination, accusing Al Gore and the Clinton administration of having “taken a hike” on restoring Northwest salmon runs. Kitzhaber, the first governor to formally back Bradley, says the feds need to stop delaying their deliberations on whether four Snake River dams in southeastern Washington should be breached to help restore salmon runs in the Columbia River basin. Kitzhaber said Bradley promised he would act quickly on the salmon issue. In other Northwest salmon news, enviros in Washington state are angry about new timber rules adopted by the state forestry board yesterday. The rules are supposed to protect endangered salmon, but enviros say they let the timber industry off far too easily.
