The Bonneville Power Administration this week raised the bounty on
northern pikeminnow with the hope more anglers will be enticed into
targeting predatory fish and, as a result, allow more of their salmon
and steelhead prey to continue their migration toward the Pacific Ocean.
Fisheries managers asked hydroelectric operators this week to begin
drafting Lake Roosevelt water now to help raise river flows at McNary
Dam.
However, the Bonneville Power Administration said the change in river
operations may not be possible because it would force BPA to sell
surplus power now and buy power back later, something it may not be able
to do.
A surprisingly low July water supply forecast and the delayed startup of
the Northwest's only nuclear power plant caused the Bonneville Power
Administration to say no to summer spill at today's (June 29) combined
meeting of federal executives with states and tribes.
Columbia Basin tribes and conservation groups responded angrily this
week to a Northwest Power Planning Council recommendation that says that
water should be spilled for fish passage at federal hydroelectric
projects only if such operations don't increase the risk of power
outages in the region next winter.
The Bonneville Power Administration today credited the "stunning
success" of the past few months' power load reduction effort with
allowing the agency to hold a planned Oct. 1 wholesale power rate
increase to an unpleasant, but palatable, 46 percent.
The clock began ticking today (June 22) on a process that will allow the
Bonneville Power Administration and its administrator better take a
"comprehensive, consistent and unified approach" toward its
responsibility to fund the multiple Columbia Basin fish and wildlife
recovery efforts.
Even with a large rate increase imminent, a drop in market electricity
prices and a huge reduction in load from the region's utilities, the
Bonneville Power Administration says a decision about summer spill is
too close to call.
BPA officials say the agency needs a water supply forecast of 54.8
million acre feet to 55.4 maf at The Dalles, January through July,
before it can initiate summer spill this year.
The Bonneville Power Administration, the California Department of Water
Resources and the California Independent System Operator have reached
agreement on a plan that outlines when and how BPA may be able to help
California during this summer's anticipated energy shortages.
The Northwest Power Planning Council Wednesday endorsed a staff analysis
showing improved regional power system reliability while voicing
concerns about how that information had been used to justify spill
programs at federal hydro projects intended to aid fish passage.
During the Wednesday meeting, Council members from Idaho, Montana and
Washington said current spill regimes may not be justified, and were
implemented without the consultation that the Council had requested.
A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order has cleared the way for a
proposed Columbia Basin "spill exchange" the agency says will both
assure flexibility and reliability" in the regional power grid and
protect fish species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Acting administrator Steve Wright said Wednesday that the Bonneville
Power Administration's wholesale customers have 16 days to make
commitments to reduce their power purchases if they want to dodge an
Oct. 1 price increase of more than 100 percent.
The federal power marketing agency has calculated that it needs about
3,700 average megawatts of additional supply to meet all of its
customers' loads in the six months starting Oct. 1.
A limited amount of spill at lower Columbia River dams will continue at
least through next week, said the Bonneville Power Administration after
a meeting today (June 1) of the federal executive committee.
BPA said the regional response to load reduction efforts and the
addition of diesel generators is allowing the agency to extend the spill
for at least one more week, but that spill could go through mid-June.
A group representing about 150 members of Congress from the Midwest and
Northeast this week renewed its call for ending the Pacific Northwest's
exclusive rights to buy federal hydroelectricity and for raising its
price to market rates.
Reacting to improved news about the region's electric system reliability
from the Northwest Power Planning Council, the Bonneville Power
Administration said today (May 25) that it will not only extend spill at
two lower Columbia River dams through next Friday, it will also spill
water through McNary and John Day dam spillways through Tuesday in an
effort to move juvenile salmon downstream.
Emergency measures including industrial power curtailments, reduced
water spills at dams and temporary generators are easing the Northwest's
electricity shortage, but the crisis is not over, according to the
latest analysis by the Northwest Power Planning Council.
Emergency measures including industrial power curtailments, reduced
water spills at dams and temporary generators are easing the Northwest's
electricity shortage, but the crisis is not over, according to the
latest analysis by the Northwest Power Planning Council.
An independent scientific panel this week urged regional entities to
learn as much as they can from this good news-bad news year for Columbia
Basin salmon recovery efforts.
The good news is that many of the basin's salmon stocks are returning
this year in larger, and sometimes record, numbers to spawn naturally or
revisit the hatchery of their origin.
The Bonneville Power Administration began spilling water at two lower
Columbia River dams this week to help juvenile salmon safely negotiate
the dams on their journey to the ocean.
The federal power marketing agency made the decision to begin spill
despite not having a final assurance from Grant County Public Utility
District that it could trade spill for power later in the spring and
summer.
A bill that sponsors say would allow more hatchery salmon to spawn
naturally and require the state to use hatchery salmon eggs to replenish
fish runs was signed into law late Tuesday by Washington Gov. Gary Locke
over the protestations of the federal agency charged with protecting and
rebuilding "wild" salmon and steelhead runs.
The Bonneville Power Administration Wednesday announced an agreement
with Alcoa that will curtail operations at the Alcoa Ferndale (Intalco)
plant for up to two years and compensate workers in the interim.
In announcing his much anticipated energy plan, President George Bush on
Thursday did not propose short-term measures to address high electricity
prices and drought in the Northwest.
Two Oregon leaders are supporting a plan by Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, to
make Northwest salmon recovery a national priority and boost federal
funding by $400 million next year.
Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., this week gave his endorsement, and Gov. John
Kitzhaber praised the overall $688 million plan, which Crapo announced
on May 3.
Worried that Flathead Lake will fall short of refilling, Pennsylvania
Power and Light Montana officials are curbing releases at Kerr Dam,
possibly in violation of their federal license.
The company has been struggling with the realities of drought, while
trying to balance conflicting license conditions above and below the dam
at the foot of Flathead Lake.
A lawsuit filed Thursday asks the U.S. District Court to order the
federal government to rethink a Columbia Basin salmon recovery plan that
the plaintiffs say is rife with faulty scientific assumptions and doomed
to failure because of a lack of Bush Administration support for
implementation funding.
The Bonneville Power Administration said it intends to launch within
days a fish and wildlife project solicitation intended to "offset"
adverse impacts of emergency hydrosystem operations on salmon and
steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act.
BPA officials have said that from $10 million to $20 million could be
made available for the effort.
An Earthwise Knowledge Initiative Publication
