From the Wild Steelhead Coalition –
After 11 years of NOAA promising an environmental impact statement (EIS) rigorously evaluating Puget Sound steelhead hatcheries, NOAA has suddenly withdrawn its draft EIS and opted for a cursory environmental assessment (EA). By adopting this unorthodox approach and backtracking from an EIS, the federal government is lowering its standards for environmental review, setting a dangerous precedent with respect to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. Left unchecked, this process will set a dangerous precedent for the future protection of all threatened and endangered species–including orca whales, salmon, and wolves–and critical habitat across the board, making it easier for harmful projects from industry such as timber and mining to be approved.
Read the full details here.
