Cheney likely to skip hearing on salmon die-off

Associated Press - July 30, 2007 4:15 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AP) - Some Democrats are determined to learn if Vice President Dick Cheney played a key role in the 2002 die-off of about 70,000 salmon near the California-Oregon border.

The concerned Democrats are on the House Natural Resources Committee.

But some House Republicans are worried that a congressional hearing into Cheney's intervention in the Klamath River basin crisis five years ago could upset negotiations to end years of battling over the water.

The Democratic-controlled panel opens hearings tomorrow on Cheney's role in the 10-year water plan for the Klamath River.

While arguments are expected on all sides, one person who won't be at the hearing is Cheney.

A spokeswoman says Cheney is NOT likely to attend.