Oregon Public Broadcasting

The latest legal skirmish in the battle over Northwest salmon will take place in a Portland courtroom Monday. 

As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, Judge James Redden is expected to grill lawyers about the science behind the new Obama Administration salmon plan, and about the court's power to make any changes.

This fall, the Obama Administration added its ideas to the Bush-era salmon plan.

Those ideas involve doing more to save salmon and doing it faster.

Obama also wants agencies to consider sacrificing power and breaching dams along the Snake River.

But before the plan can be adopted, Judge Redden needs to sign off it.

He's written a letter to lawyers saying he's not sure federal rules allow him to consider the Obama plan, and he also wants to know more about the science involved.

The head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- and one of Oregon's most well respected ecologist -- Jane Lubchenco, is expected in the courtroom Monday.

Her presence is aimed at bolstering the government's case that it is using the best science available.