The four Northwest governors have agreed to consider "legislative
proposals for river governance" that might be included in a "Northwest
chapter" for national energy restructuring legislation. The governors
intend this work to take place in conjunction with collaborative efforts
among states, tribes and federal agencies under the Three Sovereigns process.

"Regardless of the outcome of the Three Sovereigns process, the
Governors believe that eventually a ...

In a strongly-worded opinion, Federal Judge Janice M. Stewart ruled
on June 1 that the National Marine Fisheries Service must reconsider its
decision not to list the Oregon coastal coho salmon as threatened under
the Endangered Species Act.

Rather than list the coastal coho, NMFS in April, 1997 signed a Memorandum
of Agreement with Oregon to implement the Oregon Coastal Salmon Restoration
Initiative. This decision to rely on future and voluntary state conservation
measures to ...

The recent listing of bull trout as a threatened species could give
bulls the same considerations as downstream salmon, and the state of Montana
could have more leverage in its efforts to influence dam operations, says
one of the state's lead biologists.

Brian Marotz, fisheries program officer for the Department of Fish,
Wildlife and Parks, contends that salmon have been the favored species
for federal agencies that influence Montana's dam operations. But that
may change with the ...

Mike Field, Idaho's representative to the Three Sovereigns Process,
says his state is not ready to sign a Memorandum of Agreement regarding
river governance, but will continue to participate in the Three Sovereigns
process.

"We will continue to work collaboratively on these issues,"
said Field. "But we won't sign a contract. Through the public comment
process our constituents told us they don't want us to sign the MOA."

He said the MOA's "rules are not ...

Interested parties have until July 24 to make comments
on suggested refinements to the Corps of Engineers' mainstem capital construction
program.

A staff "issue paper" released May 19 by the Northwest Power
Planning Council focuses on potential efficiencies in Corps engineering
processes in terms of both improving design and reducing costs on Columbia
and Snake river fish passage improvement projects. The Council was asked
by Congress last year to conduct reviews of the ...

In a May 29 speech to the Portland City Club, Montana
Governor Marc Racicot said he has been "frustrated by the current
fish and wildlife Decision-making structure which, in practical application,
gives the federal government final authority."

Racicot said the Northwest needs a "different approach, what I
call place-based governance. This is, decisions about fish and wildlife
in the Columbia River Basin should belong to those who live in the Columbia
River ...

Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo announced this week that he will wing his way home from Washington, D.C., this weekend to broker negotiations between water users, salmon advocates and environmentalists, federal agency leaders, legislators, and others on aimed at resolving conflicts over Idaho water relative to salmon recovery.

Feasibility studies conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers for major new construction projects would have to undergo independent expert review under a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this week.

Idaho's Sen. Mike Crapo has taken on the challenge of refocusing a long-running and fractious debate about how much water, if any, should be siphoned from Idaho's upper Snake River Basin to augment downstream Snake/Columbia flows for migrating salmon and steelhead.

Funding for a Columbia River channel deepening project to deepen the river's navigation channel from 40 feet to 43 feet failed to meet the criteria of the Bush Administration's no new start policy and therefore was not included in the president's proposed fiscal year 2004 budget.

NOAA Fisheries, conservation and fishing groups agreed to a schedule that the fisheries agency must follow to re-establish critical habitat for 19 salmon and steelhead evolutionarily significant units.

The agency and groups signed the consent decree, which affects ESUs in California, Oregon, Idaho and Washington, on Sept. 12.