Washington CEO Inc. Soon, salmon runs could hover near extinction in Washington state, goes one nightmarish scenario. Attempts to reach an agreement between government agencies, power producers, Indian tribes, farmers and environmentalists end in stalemate. The state sees high-tech companies and industries shun the region because they would be denied water permits.
Development grinds to a halt because businesses are mired in a massive legal gridlock.
While this pessimistic scenario is certainly improbable, it is not impossible. Top state officials are now working on similar scenarios as they grapple with the power of the federal Endangered Species Act, which currently hangs over Washington like a sword. For more than a year, Jim Jesernig, director of Washington's Department of Agriculture, has crisscrossed the state presenting his own dire forecast to farmers, editorial boards, chambers of commerce and anyone else who will listen. But for the most part, he's been a prophet in the wilderness. This whole issue is so complicated that it's hard to describe it in sound bites.