A recommendation that $153,000 be allocated to fund a Leavenworth National
Fish Hatchery Complex budget shortfall has been forwarded by the Northwest
Power Planning Council to the Bonneville Power Administration.

The Council decided Wednesday to second a recommendation from the Columbia
Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority favoring the expenditure. The NPPC letter
to BPA administrator Judith Johansen asks BPA to OK expenditures from its
reimbursables program.

The Bureau of ...

...

...

...

A "Framework Interim Management Group" on Monday targeted
$700,000 in unspent 1998 Bonneville Power Administration Fish and Wildlife
Program funds as "seed money" to get a multi-species framework
development project started and on track for completion next year.

Group members John Brogoitti, a Northwest Power Planning Council member,
and Danny Consenstein, the National Marine Fisheries Service's Columbia
River coordinator, made the decision via conference call ...

A scientific review of fish and wildlife project proposals released
Monday stressed the need to take the application process more seriously,
or face the possibility of leaving worthy projects unfunded.

About 40 percent of the 403 projects submitted for funding through the
Northwest Power Planning Council's Fish and Wildlife Program were deemed
technically "inadequate" in an report by the Independent Scientific
Review Panel.

When making funding recommendations, the ...

Fifteen members of the Northwest's House delegation have sent a letter
to Vice-President Al Gore urging the Administration to "move promptly"
on determining the Bonneville Power Administration's fish and wildlife
funding levels for the years 2002-2006.

The House members say they want salmon recovery costs based on "realistic
and reasonable" measures and that U.S. taxpayers should share the
costs. Rep. Elizabeth Furse, D-Oregon, and Rep. Helen Chenoweth, ...

For the first time since January, the Northwest Power Planning Council
is at full membership.

Last week, the Oregon State Legislature confirmed Gov. John Kitzhaber's
appointment of Eric J. Bloch, 38, to the Council. The seat had been open
since January, when Joyce Cohen vacated the position after serving one
three-year term.

Bloch, who took office last week, said he will be focusing on the Council
"developing an analytical framework that can be a policy tool for
the ...