The National Marine Fisheries Service would increase spending on
Northwest salmon recovery by $9 million in FY2001, under the final
budget of President Clinton's term.
When it issues a biological opinion of the federal hydro system, the
National Marine Fisheries Service will attach a work in progress that
also addresses federal Clean Water Act issues in the Columbia River
mainstem.
The Northwest Power Planning Council this week unveiled preliminary
analysis of seven river management schemes that shows all the options
producing positive change for chinook salmon populations in the Columbia
River Basin.
The Multi-Species Framework process drew polite applause this week from
Columbia Basin interest groups that for the most part like the potential
and intent but withheld judgment on its usefulness in guiding salmon
recovery processes.
Federal officials heard pleas about the need to restore salmon
populations, and preserve the economic functions of the Columbia
Basin's hydroelectric system during the first public meeting planned around the region to gather public comment on fish recovery planning efforts.
A first attempt to describe what the future Northwest Power Planning
Council fish and wildlife program might contain did what the "strawman"
is intended to do -- stimulate discussion about how to produce the best
results from the expenditure of hydroelectric dollars.
The four Columbia River treaty tribes took their complaints about the federal government's failure to consult with them on salmon issues to Washington, D.C., this week.
The National Marine Fisheries Service on Thursday told tribal and non-tribal fishers that there might not be enough Columbia-Snake river spring chinook salmon to satisfy everyone's harvest desires this year.
The Columbia Basin Forum Committee this week met for the first time in
three months, setting for itself an ambitious agenda to begin its policy
level exploration of the region's four Hs -- hydro, harvest, habitat and
hatcheries
The federal caucus will be taking its developing salmon recovery
products on the road next month, spotlighting three Corps of Engineers studies of Lower Snake River hydrosystem configuration options. More follows.
Objections from Idaho and Oregon fish and wildlife officials have left
in question planned pilot studies intended to explore impacts of dam
passage on adult salmon's survival and reproductive success.
The process of amending the Columbia Basin's $127 million regional fish
and wildlife program began Wednesday with a call for broad rules to live
by, not specific measures for managing fish and wildlife populations.
Despite a stand-offish policy stance reiterated this week by Washington
Gov. Gary Locke, the governors of Oregon, Idaho and Montana decided
Thursday to forge ahead with a plan to bring the region more authority
in fish and wildlife recovery decision-making.
About 30 people offered opinions Tuesday during the National Marine
Fisheries Service's first of 15 scheduled public hearings in the
Northwest to accept comments on its proposed "4(d) rules" for 14 species
of steelhead and salmon listed as threatened under the federal
Endangered Species Act.
Federal agencies operating dams in the Columbia River Basin released a
December assessment that dams adversely affect six species listed as endangered or threatened in 1999. They recommend a new Federal Columbia River Power System biological opinion.
Second-year Council member Larry Cassidy of Washington was elected
Wednesday as chairman of the Northwest Power Planning Council as it
prepares to reshape its Columbia Basin fish and wildlife program and
establish new procedures for allocating funding of fish and wildlife
restoration projects.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has released a draft of a
supplemental biological opinion on operation of the Columbia River
federal power system to federal and state agencies, along with tribes,
for quick review. It hopes to complete the BiOp by the spring 2000
juvenile migration.
Washington's Gov. Gary Locke will not be in lock step with his peers
from Idaho, Montana and Oregon in their efforts to claim more regional
clout in fish and wildlife recovery planning decisions.
Co-ownership of two lower Deschutes River hydroelectric dams will settle
a long-standing dispute between Portland General Electric and the Warm
Springs Tribes about who should be licensed to operate the dams. The
settlement had been in the works since the spring of 1999.
A supplemental biological opinion completed last month blesses a plan to
continue federal operations which times the release of 427,000 acre feet
of reservoir water in Idaho to coincide, primarily, with the migration
of Snake River fall chinook salmon listed Endangered Species Act.
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