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 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that federal
"biological opinions" sanctioning certain federal timber sales in the
Pacific Northwest did not adequately protect habitat for salmon stocks
listed under the Endangered Species Act.
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.
Taking issue with President George Bush's agenda on many issues,
including energy and the environment, Sen. James Jeffords, R-Vt., on
Thursday quit the Republican Party, handing control of the Senate to
Democrats.
Taking issue with President George Bush's agenda on many issues,
including energy and the environment, Sen. James Jeffords, R-Vt., on
Thursday quit the Republican Party, handing control of the Senate to
Democrats.
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.
The term "surplus hatchery fish" has, at least for this year, has been
erased from the Methow Basin salmon management dictionary following a
landmark agreement that focuses on the collection of local, naturally
spawning spring chinook to replenish hatchery egg banks and lets
unneeded hatchery stocks seek a spawning niche in the river's mainstem.
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.
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.
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.
President George Bush's first budget maintains current funding levels
for Pacific salmon recovery programs, but they are more than $400
million below the amount estimated to be needed to implement the
Columbia Basin salmon recovery plan.
In February, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber asked Bush administration
officials for an increase of $566 million - $438 million in FY02 and
$128 million as a supplemental add-on in FY01.
President George Bush's first budget maintains current funding levels
for Pacific salmon recovery programs, but they are more than $400
million below the amount estimated to be needed to implement the
Columbia Basin salmon recovery plan.
In February, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber asked Bush administration
officials for an increase of $566 million - $438 million in FY02 and
$128 million as a supplemental add-on in FY01.
President George Bush's first budget maintains current funding levels
for Pacific salmon recovery programs, but they are more than $400
million below the amount estimated to be needed to implement the
Columbia Basin salmon recovery plan.
In February, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber asked Bush administration
officials for an increase of $566 million - $438 million in FY02 and
$128 million as a supplemental add-on in FY01.
A coalition of fishing and conservation groups on Thursday gave notice of their intent to file a series of lawsuits unless the federal agencies act immediately wring water from the upper Snake River to help migrating salmon in what is shaping up to be a drought year.
Continued drought-like weather, near record low river flows and the West
Coast power shortage aligned this week, causing the Bonneville Power
Administration to conclude that the impact on the power system of
spilling water through dam spillways to aid fish passage would be too
negative.
Therefore, BPA instead declared a power system emergency and announced
it would not spill at dams at least beyond next week.
With all signs pointing to a reduction in the amount of water normally
spilled at Columbia Basin hydroelectric projects to help migrating
juvenile salmon, a panel of scientists is suggesting that decision
makers utilize spill methods which use less of the precious liquid.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is completing a biological opinion
that would allow collection and transportation of juvenile salmon smolts
at McNary Dam. Although federal executives have not made a decision to
begin barging at the dam, NMFS said that having the BiOp in hand gives
them the flexibility to begin when the decision is made.
A 2001 Columbia Basin upriver spring chinook salmon run expected to set
a modern day record is, indeed, passing Bonneville Dam counters at an
unprecedented pace.
"All of the counts so far are much higher than anything in our data
sets," said Mike Matylewich of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish
Commission ...
An attempt by federal fish management agencies to document good habitat
works in the interior Columbia River Basin has been withdrawn, drawing
fire from some who say the action is another example of the Bush
Administration's studied erosion of environmental protections.
Federal officials this morning decided to make no changes in this
weekend's operation that tribal officials feared would reduce flows in
the Hanford Reach and destroy hundreds of redds in the Vernita Bar.
Despite growing political demand for federal price caps on Western
electricity to alleviate economic and environmental damage, Bush
administration officials this week continued to strongly oppose such
action by federal regulators or Congress.
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham restated the administration's
opposition on Thursday at a Senate committee hearing on proposed
legislation to ease the region's California-spawned energy crisis.
An Earthwise Knowledge Initiative Publication
