Missouri River meeting sought

| Thursday, November 13, 2003

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WASHINGTON — Two days after they called for an investigation into the Bush administration's decision to replace a team of scientists, South Dakota's two senators are leading a group that wants to meet with two Cabinet secretaries.

Sens. Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson, both D-S.D., sent letters to Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee. Daschle and Johnson are joined by Rep. Bill Janklow, R-S.D., Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D.

A team of scientists with years of experience on the Missouri River ruled in 2000 that management by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not follow the Endangered Species Act. Last week, those scientists were replaced.

Daschle said he suspects political motives are behind Bush's abrupt replacement of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife scientists.

"Manipulating scientific facts to meet a desired outcome is simply unacceptable and calls into question the Bush administration's commitment to proper management of the Missouri River," Daschle said. "The Bush administration has a responsibility to ensure that management of the Missouri River is based on sound science, not the Bush administration's political concerns. It is important that we have an opportunity to discuss this matter face to face with the secretaries of the Interior and the Army so that we may fully understand their rationale for this seemingly irrational decision."

Johnson agreed.

"Once again, the political considerations of the White House took precedence over sound science," Johnson said. "We need this meeting to determine if, in fact, the Department of Interior removed the river experts so that the new group, unfamiliar with the Missouri, will act as rubber stamp for the Corps' management plan. All we have asked for is an independent opinion based on expertise in science, not in politics."