NW Power/Conservation Council Releases Two Reports Detailing Fish/Wildlife Spending; $932 Million By BPA In FY 2022
September 28th, 2023
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council has recently released two reports -- one a report on fish and wildlife expenses incurred by the Bonneville Power Administration in the Columbia/Snake river basins and, more recently, a second report that will be sent to Congress that is currently out for public review until Dec. 12. Both reports are for fiscal year 2022.
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Council/BPA Approve Using $25 Million In BPA Funds For Long Overdue Maintenance At Aging Columbia Basin Hatcheries
June 21st, 2023
More than $25 million was approved last week by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council for non-recurring maintenance at hatcheries and for fish screen maintenance throughout the Columbia River basin in fiscal year 2024. The cost of maintenance projects at 13 hatcheries that totals $23,356,074 will be paid by excess revenue funds from the Bonneville Power Administration’s reserves distribution clause.
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More Letters, Meetings About What To Do With Salmon-Eating Cormorants On Astoria Bridge; Chase Them Back To East Sand Island? Culling?
June 16th, 2023
In a January letter, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council invited Oregon and Washington transportation agencies to meet jointly to discuss their mutual problem of double-crested cormorants on the Astoria-Megler Bridge that spans the Columbia River estuary at Astoria, OR.
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Council/BPA Moving Closer To Approving Huge Increase For Hatchery Maintenance Due To Flush Revenue Year For BPA
May 18th, 2023
Spending on maintenance of Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead hatcheries, as well as fish screens, could see a significant bump in fiscal year 2024 if the full Northwest Power and Conservation Council approves a plan endorsed this week by the Council’s Fish and Wildlife Committee. That approval could come as early as the body’s June meeting.
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Council Reaches Out To State Agencies To Discuss ‘Alarming Conclusions’ Of Study Detailing Impacts To Salmon From Cormorants On Astoria Bridge
January 26th, 2023
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council has asked the owner of the Astoria-Megler Bridge in Astoria to meet with them to talk about the double-crested cormorant problem in the Columbia River estuary.
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Northwest Power/Conservation Council Elects Officers, Two Long-Time Members Retiring
January 20th, 2023
At its January meeting, Northwest Power and Conservation Council members elected Idaho’s Jeff Allen to serve as chair and Washington’s KC Golden to serve as vice chair of the four-state agency.
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Washington State of Salmon Report: ‘Too Many Salmon Remain On Brink Of Extinction, Time Running Out’
January 13th, 2023
Of the seven species of salmon and steelhead that inhabit Washington state’s waters -- and are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as at risk of extinction-- Hood Canal summer chum salmon and Snake River fall Chinook salmon are approaching their recovery goals, according to a biennial report soon to be released by the Washington Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office.
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Successful Salmon Reintroduction: Sockeye Salmon Repopulating Okanagan Basin In Big Numbers
December 16th, 2022
By anyone’s measure, sockeye salmon runs have skyrocketed since 1997 in the Okanogan River basin when a transboundary workgroup decided to begin efforts to reintroduce the fish into Okanogan Lake in British Columbia, according to tribal biologists speaking at this week’s Northwest Power and Conservation Council meeting.
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BPA 2022 Net Revenues Exceed Target By $792 Million; Proposing Flat Rates For 2023-25, 8 Percent Increase For Salmon Mitigation
November 22nd, 2022
The Bonneville Power Administration plans to capitalize on its strong 2022 fiscal year by holding its rates for electricity and transmission flat during the next rate case cycle, which is FY2023-25. In the same rate case, it is proposing to increase its Columbia River basin fish and wildlife mitigation expenses by 8 percent, the first time the power marketing agency has increased those costs since FY2018-19 when it vowed to keep fish and wildlife spending below the inflation rate.