Cheney Kills Salmon for Smith

It's been long known that Karl Rove orchestrated the diversion of water in the Klamath River basin to Oregon farmers in 2002. But according to a recent series of articles in the Washington Post, it was Vice President Dick Cheney who was really pulling the strings. The move killed thousands of endangered salmon but ensured farmers' support for the reelection of Republican Sen. Gordon Smith.

It's been long known that Karl Rove orchestrated the diversion of water in the Klamath River basin to Oregon farmers in 2002. But according to a recent series of articles in the Washington Post, it was Vice President Dick Cheney who was really pulling the strings. The move killed thousands of endangered salmon but ensured farmers' support for the reelection of Republican Sen. Gordon Smith.

Such political maneuverings are a possible violation of the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act (once known as "An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities") prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political action while on the job.

The Klamath incident was only one of many anti-environmental misdeeds Cheney surreptitiously directed, from easing air pollution controls to reopening the national forests to logging, mining and other development.

Rove, senior political advisor to George W. Bush, gave a PowerPoint presentation to 50 Department of the Interior managers at a retreat in West Virginia in 2002. The presentation discussed polling data, and emphasized the importance of getting Smith reelected that year.

The water diversion resulted in low water flow in the Klamath, killing as many as 60,000 fish, a report from the California Department of Fish and Game said. The fish killed included naturally raised Chinook and endangered Coho salmon. The Oregon fishing industry relies heavily on Chinook salmon.

Michael Kelly, a lead biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service objected to the plan to divert the water, but his objections were overruled.

A federal judge later ruled that the Bush administration violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing the water to be diverted.

It is only recently the extent of Cheney's involvement in incidents such as the Klamath water release has become known. According to the Post, "he generally has preferred to operate with stealth." – Camilla Mortensen