08. LAW - Columbia Basin Bulletin - Page 112

1. FEDS UNVEIL BASINWIDE RECOVERY STRATEGY

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

A hatchery system "overhaul" and short-term habitat improvement actions
aimed at reaping quick salmon survival benefits are key to a Columbia
Basin salmon recovery strategy outlined in draft form Thursday by
federal officials.

The draft plan, which a top White House officials says will "clearly
cost hundreds of millions" more to implement than is currently being
spent on recovery efforts, does not include dam breaching ...

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2. TRIBES BASH ‘NO-BREACH’ PLAN, HINT LITIGATION

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

A Thursday morning session with a top Administration official produced
little satisfaction for Columbia Basin tribes who insist federal salmon
recovery plans miss a major mark by forestalling a decision to breach
four hydroelectric projects on the Lower Snake River.

"Today I was obliged to deliver the message to Mr. George Frampton,
representing the White House, that the federal decision not to breach
the lower Snake River dams is a purposeful and conscious decision to ...

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3. BIOP CALLS FOR INCREASED FLOWS, IMPROVED PASSAGE

August 27, 2003/in 02. RIVER, 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

A new biological opinion for the Columbia River Basin federal hydropower
system calls for increased flows to get more water into rivers, improved
spill and passage for juvenile salmon as they travel through the dams
and more work at the dams to improve fish passage.

It also addresses improved management of flow, spill and operations of
the Columbia River hydro system ...

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5. NW GOVERNORS PROPOSE OWN RECOVERY STRATEGIES

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

The four Northwest governors revealed their strategy for salmon recovery
this week, which focuses on those areas where they agree and leaves dam
breaching to another forum.

By releasing the plan now, the governors say they hope to begin moving
the region toward recovery of salmon and steelhead listed under the
Endangered Species Act ...

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6. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE RELEASES RESIDENT FISH BIOP

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

A biological opinion that governs hydropower operations to protect bull
trout and white sturgeon listed under the Endangered Species Act was
released this week at the same time federal agencies released a BiOp and
All-H paper for endangered salmon and steelhead.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the draft BiOp on Thursday for a 60-day public review. It applies to bull trout ...

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1. STELLE, FRAMPTON DETAIL NON-BREACHING OPTION

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

Clinton administration officials this week said they will not seek
removal of four lower Snake River federal dams to restore endangered
salmon but will continue to study and plan for the option for the next
10 years in case it proves to be necessary to avoid extinction.

The administration's alternative to dam breaching will be ...

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2. ADMINISTRATION STATEMENTS PROMPT SHARP REACTIONS

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

The Clinton administration's announcement this week that it would not
seek to tear down Snake River dams to aid endangered salmon was
criticized by both environmental advocates and dam supporters.

National and Northwest environmentalists said the administration's
proposed non-breaching salmon recovery strategy could lead to
extinctions, while Republicans criticized it for leaving the door open
to possible future dam removal.

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4. IEAB: BREACHING ECONOMIC ANALYSIS NEEDS WORK

August 27, 2003/in 07. POWER, 08. LAW

The extended ruminations over dam breaching's salmon recovery potential
could be time well spent, according to a panel of economists called on
to critique the economic component of the Corps of Engineer's draft
Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Study and
environmental impact statement.

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6. PANEL APPROVES SALMON TREATY, MITCHELL ACT FUNDS

August 27, 2003/in 08. LAW

The Senate Appropriations Committee this week approved almost $120
million for Pacific Coast salmon programs as part of the FY01
appropriations bill for the departments of commerce, justice and state.

The bill also includes $19 million for Mitchell Act Columbia River
hatcheries for operating costs, construction and replacement of fishways
and irrigation diversion screens on Columbia River tributaries ...

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1. STATES, TRIBES AGREE ON FALL CHINOOK HARVEST SHARE

August 27, 2003/in 04. WILDLIFE, 08. LAW

State and tribal negotiators reached agreement Thursday on a sharing of
the upcoming upriver fall chinook harvest, providing a going-away
present of sorts for the U.S. District Court judge who has guided such
discussions for the past 13 years.

Negotiations on a management agreement for this year's upper Columbia
River fall chinook, steelhead and coho runs had reached a dead-end in
recent weeks ...

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2. FEDS SAY YES TO OKANOGAN OUTPLANTING

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 08. LAW

Federal fish and wildlife officials, and those from Washington state,
agreed in principle this week to put surplus Carson stock spring chinook
into what is "essentially an empty system" in the Okanogan Basin.

But a continued reluctance to employ the stock in a Methow River salmon
restoration effort has angered Columbia River treaty tribes ...

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6. ADMINISTRATION BUCKS CONGRESS, ISSUES TMDL REGS

August 27, 2003/in 08. LAW

The Clinton administration this week issued final water quality
regulations aimed at reducing water pollution in runoff from
agricultural, forest and other lands.

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1. SOCKEYE SURGE RAISES HARVEST HOPES

August 27, 2003/in 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

A five-fold increase in sockeye salmon run expectations has enabled
non-Indian commercial fishers their first sockeye salmon fishing
opportunity since 1989 below the Columbia River's Bonneville Dam.

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2. STATES CHALLENGE NMFS HARVEST ALLOCATION PROCESS

August 27, 2003/in 04. WILDLIFE, 08. LAW

Frustrated with a shrinking share of fishing opportunities, the states
of Oregon and Washington filed suit this week in U.S. District Court in
an attempt to prevent the federal government from using Endangered
Species Act provisions as the means of allocating harvest between tribal
and non-tribal fishers.

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3. DRAFT HYDRO BIOP RELEASE DATE MOVED BACK

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

The planned release of the National Marine Fisheries Service's
biological opinion regarding federal hydrosystem impacts on listed
Columbia Basin salmon species has been pushed back from late June to
late July as federal agencies continue to wrangle over the final details
of the document.

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3. SPENDING BILL INCLUDES FISH MITIGATION, DREDGING WORK

August 27, 2003/in 08. LAW

The Army Corps of Engineers would receive $80 million for Columbia-Snake
river salmon mitigation next year, under a spending bill for federal
energy and water programs approved this week in the House Appropriations
Committee.

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1. COALITION URGES USE OF FISH ‘SURPLUS’ FOR OUTPLANTING

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 08. LAW

A self-described "odd coalition" of tribal, utility district,
agricultural and other local interests got together this past week to
demand that federal and state agencies rethink a federal salmon recovery
strategy that results in the "destruction" of surplus returning adult
hatchery fish.

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3. HOUSE APPROVES NETHERCUTT’S ICBEMP RIDER

August 27, 2003/in 08. LAW

The House of Representatives on Thursday voted to allow federal agencies
to implement the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Plan but
later reversed itself.

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4. NEZ PERCE PROTESTS SINK SMOLT TRANSPORT STUDY

August 27, 2003/in 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

About 75,000 soon-to-be smolted Snake River fall chinook salmon treaded
hatchery water this past week while the agencies and tribes debated the
merits of using the little fish in proposed research aimed at gauging
survival.

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3. RELEASE OF DRAFT HYDRO BIOP, ALL-H PAPER SLIPS TO JUNE 30

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

The slippery schedule for completing a draft biological opinion
governing operations of Columbia River hydroelectric projects slid
again, this time to June 30. Once coined the 1999 BiOp by the National
Marine Fisheries Service, it is now the 2000 BiOp and was last scheduled
for release in draft form May 22.

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2. WHITE HOUSE BRIEFS STATES ON BREACHING, BIOP, ALL-H

August 27, 2003/in 03. HABITAT, 04. WILDLIFE, 07. POWER, 08. LAW

White House officials have assured state representatives that two federally-instigated Northwest salmon recovery plans would soon be ready for review. While those studies do not immediately recommend removing four lower Snake River dams, they do set performance standards, which if not met, could trigger removal of the dams within five or ten years.

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3. UPRIVER SPRING CHINOOK RUN CLIMBS TO 198,826 FISH

August 27, 2003/in 04. WILDLIFE, 08. LAW

The preliminary head count of upriver Columbia-Snake spring chinook at Bonneville Dam has provided a double blessing -- ample numbers to revive long foregone fishing opportunities and signs that next year's run will be even better.

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2. GORTON, HASTINGS OPPOSE BABBITT’S REACH PROPOSAL

August 27, 2003/in 08. LAW

U.S. Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt's expected recommendation to
designate the Hanford Reach a national monument brought criticism from
Washington Republican lawmakers before and after his visit to the area
this week.

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6. GROUPS ASK FOR JUDICIAL ACTION ON “WATER SPREADING”

August 27, 2003/in 08. LAW

Lawyers for fishing and conservation groups asked a federal judge on
Friday to order the Bureau of Reclamation to stop delivering irrigation
water to unauthorized farmland in the Northwest.

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7. HOUSE PANEL APPROVES NETHERCUTT’S ICBEMP PROVISION

August 27, 2003/in 08. LAW

A Northwest congressman has won subcommittee approval for barring
federal agencies from implementing the $56 million Interior Columbia
Basin Ecosystem Management Plan until they evaluate the impact on small
businesses and provide for mitigation.

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