Steelhead Recovery Efforts Threatened By McCain Bill

Santa Barbara steelhead trout recovery advocates are expressing alarm at a bill sponsored by Arizona Sen. John McCain that would cut federal funding for programs and projects designed to restore habitats for endangered steelhead trout throughout the Pacific Coast. McCain’s amendment would effectively freeze $65 million that’s been earmarked for such recovery efforts through an account overseen by the Department of Commerce via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. According to Brian Trautwein with the Environmental Defense Center, funding from this program has proven crucial in the past for steelhead restoration efforts in Mission Creek, San Jose Creek, and Carpinteria Creek, not to mention various tributaries of the Santa Ynez River. California’s Sen. Barbara Boxer has reportedly opposed the McCain amendment.