Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: July 13, 2001

Contact: Stephanie Hanna 202-208-6416

Department of the Interior Issues Endangered Species Committee Decision

(WASHINGTON) - The following statement was released by the U.S. Department of the Interior:

"It was very difficult to inform a majority of farmers in April that there was not water available from the Klamath Project to irrigate many of their lands. Equally, it is difficult today to inform the Pacific Legal Foundation, and the irrigation districts they represent, that their application is not eligible to convene an Endangered Species Committee.

"It is our hope and goal that we can continue to work together as Americans committed to finding innovative solutions to prevent this situation from occurring in the future. We look forward to beginning the mediation process, with a meeting next week, that will focus on finding short and long term answers to these complex problems.

"We are deeply concerned about the personal and economic circumstances facing the Klamath Basin farmers. In the short term, the federal government, working with Congress, will offer monetary help, with $20 million in aid.

"The patience exhibited by the people of the Klamath Basin is truly remarkable - a testament to their courage, their strength, and their spirit."

The specific grounds for this decision are enclosed in the attached letter.

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