The federal government yesterday released a new set of rules for the Pacific Northwest that prohibit harming threatened or endangered salmon and steelhead populations and the rivers and streams where they live. Still, the rules do not specify what activities are forbidden and do not require efforts to restore fish runs to their former healthy states. The National Marine Fisheries Service is encouraging local governments to come up with their own plans to protect the salmon and steelhead, which the agency will review and decide whether to approve. If people follow approved local rules, they won’t be subject to civil or criminal penalties from the feds. Enviros criticized the new federal rules as vague and inadequate and began the process of filing suit against the government. Developers and other critics complained that the rules would stifle the economy.
