JANUARY 15, 1996
FROM: GORDON JAMES, CHAIRMAN,
SKOKOMISH TRIBAL COUNCIL
DEAR FRIENDS OF THE SKOKOMISH RIVER:
THE SKOKOMISH RIVER WATERSHED NEEDS YOUR HELP!
On January 31 in Hoodsport and February 1 in Olympia, the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold public meetings
on the City of Tacoma's proposal to continue diverting the
North Fork Skokomish River out of its watershed for another
30-50 years. The fate of the watershed, the estuary, and of
the people who live there, all hang in the balance. You can
help tip the balance and convince FERC to require Tacoma
Public Utilities to restore the North Fork to its watershed
and operate its Cushman hydroelectric project in a responsible
way.
THE PROBLEM
In the late 1920's the City of Tacoma built the Cushman
hydroelectric project on the North Fork Skokomish River, which
flows into the southern end of Hood Canal on the Skokomish
Indian Reservation. The City misrepresented the effect the
Cushman Project would have on the environment and on the
Reservation. It got a federal license only to flood 8.8 acres
of federal land. It used that license as cover to build two
dams, reservoirs, power houses, diversion works, and
transmission lines -- these project works remain unlicensed.
The City diverted the entire North Fork Skokomish River out of
its watershed to a power plant on Hood Canal, and used
political muscle to build the Cushman Project without fish
ladders in violation of state law. The largest salmon runs in
Hood Canal were virtually wiped out. Wildlife habitat was
destroyed, and the biggest estuary and delta in Hood Canal
were heavily impacted. The diversion dried up the North -Fork
and reduced the ability of the main-stem Skokomish to flush
sediment; the channel filled in; overbank flooding increased.
For nearly 70 years the Cushman Project has wreaked
environmental, social, and economic havoc on the Tribe and the
general public. No mitigation has ever been required by FERC.
The Tribe estimates the damage at more than $2 billion. The
City of Tacoma, meanwhile, has enjoyed electrical rates that
are less than half the national average, and about 15% less
than the Northwest average. In addition, the City has reaped
windfall net revenues of an estimated three-quarters of a
billion dollars at Tribal and general public expense.
THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (DEIS)
The City's license to flood 8.8 acres of federal land expired
in 1974. It applied to license the dams, powerhouses, and
other facilities, and to continue to divert the entire North
Fork out of its watershed for another 30-50 years. In the
intervening 21 years FERC has allowed the Cushman Project to
continue without requiring any measures to reduce damage to
the environment, the Tribe, or to the general public. On
December 15, 1995 FERC released a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement on the City's application. The DEIS is fatally
flawed.
FERC proposes to simply "write off" nearly 70 years of
unmitigated environmental, social and economic damage, and to
ignore hundreds of millions of dollars in windfall excess
revenue to the City. The DEIS proposes relatively small
changes in future operations of the outlaw Cushman Project,
and token mitigation for the enormous damage to the watershed
and to the people who live there. Instead of protecting the
public interest, FERC argues in the DEIS it would cost the
City of Tacoma too much to operate the Cushman Project as a
normal hydroelectric project, restore the North Fork to its
watershed, and mitigate the damage!
WE NEED YOUR HELP
The City of Tacoma, regrettably, is not satisfied with the
enormous wealth it has extracted from the Skokomish River
watershed at Tribal and general pubic expense over the past 70
years.
Tacoma admits it could not get away with building the Cushman
Project today. But the City insists it cannot afford to
substantially restore the North Fork to its watershed and
operate the Cushman Project in a socially responsible way.
FERC is acting more like the City's business agent than an
agency charged with protecting the public interest. It will
take enormous public pressure to persuade FERC to do the right
thing. A large and growing number of county, state, tribal and
federal agencies, public interest organizations, religious
groups, and individuals have joined in calling for
substantially restoring the North Fork to its watershed, and
for mitigating the environmental damage caused by the Cushman
Project.
PUBLIC MEETINGS & WRITTEN COMMENTS
FERC has scheduled public meetings at which FERC staff will
present its major findings and recommendations in the DEIS.
Interested parties will be given up to five minutes to comment
for the record. Please join with the Skokomish Tribe and other
friends of the Skokomish River in speaking up for the river,
for the well-being of the people who live in its watershed,
for socially responsible behavior by the City of Tacoma, and
for FERC to protect the public from irresponsible
hydroelectric development.
* JANUARY 31 (WEDNESDAY), 7:00-11:00PM,
HOODSPORT FIRE HALL
* FEBRUARY 1 (THURSDAY), 9:30AM-12:30PM,
RAMADA INN GOVERNOR HOUSE,
621 SOUTH CAPITOL WAY, OLYMPIA
* FEBRUARY 1 (THURSDAY), 7:00-11:00PM,
RAMADA INN GOVERNOR HOUSE,
621 SOUTH CAPITOL WAY, OLYMPIA
Written comments on the DEIS must be received by February 13,
1996. Mail to:
Lois D. Cashell, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street N.E.
Washington, DC 20426
Skokomish Indian Tribe, Mason County, Washington Department of
Ecology, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, National
Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,
National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U. S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Skokomish Watershed
Coalition, American Rivers, Federation of Fly Fishers, Friends
of the Earth, Trout Unlimited, The Mountaineers, Olympic Park
Associates, Rivers Council of Washington, Washington Trout,
Hood Canal Environmental Council, American Friends Service
Committee, National Congress of American Indians, Affiliated
Tribes of Northwest Indians, Washington Association of
Churches, Church Council of Greater Seattle, Support for
Native Sovereignty ALL CALL FOR SUBSTANTIALLY RESTORING THE
NORTH FORK SKOKOMISH RIVER TO ITS WATERSHED. PLEASE JOIN THEM!
INFORMATION: VICTOR MARTINO 206-842-5386
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John Burrows, Executive Director jburrows@halcyon.com <or>
Center For World Indigenous Studies The Quarto Mundista BBS
http://www.halcyon.com/FWDP/cwisinfo.html FidoNet 1:352/333 360-786-9629
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