On or before May 1, 2001, the Council will solicit recommendations for a mainstem coordination plan, similar to a subbasin plan. The plan will consider ways in which the hydrosystem operations called for in the biological opinions could be adjusted so as to assure that these operations meet the needs of ESA-listed stocks and the dictates of the Northwest Power Act. The hydrosystem measures contained in this plan will also provide necessary guidance to the Council’s subbasin planning process.

The plan will include, as appropriate, specific measures such as standards for systemwide coordination, flow regimes, spill, reservoir elevations, water retention times, passage modifications at mainstem dams, operational requirements to protect mainstem spawning and rearing areas, and operational requirements to protect resident fish and wildlife.

The Council plans to complete this rulemaking by October 2001.

The Council will continue to work with interested parties to develop potential goals, objectives, and strategies at the level of ecological provinces. The Council expects that the information developed for, and in, the subbasin planning process will also inform the province level elements, and help shape the subbasin plans so that they are coordinated with the plans of other subbasins in their province.

At this time, the Council is not scheduling a further rulemaking for province level goals, objectives, and strategies. If further information is developed that merits such amendments, the Council will solicit recommendations and accept amendments.

In the course of adopting subbasin plans, the Council will consider how the proposed plans fit with one another within and among provinces. The Council expects that, at the conclusion of the subbasin planning process, it will conduct a specific amendment process to incorporate specific provincial visions, objectives, and strategies.

In January 2001, the Council will issue a call for recommendations for subbasin plans. Recommendations will be received on or before May 1, 2001; November 1, 2001; May 1, 2002; November 1, 2002; May 1, 2003; November 1, 2003; May 1, 2004; and November 1, 2004. The Council will make a decision on each subbasin plan within one year of its receipt, unless otherwise agreed by the recommending party.

In other words, subbasin plans can be submitted on any of these dates during this three-year period, and the date of final decision will be one year or less after receipt. For example, a plan submitted on November 1, 2002, will be acted upon by November 1, 2003.

The Council is taking this approach to assure that subbasin plans can be submitted when ready, and also to assure that the parties working on a plan within a subbasin have a reasonable opportunity to come together on a common plan. The Council recognizes that the timing for submission of plans will vary depending on a number of factors, including the level of information and planning already available in a subbasin and the working relationship among the participants.

Under the Northwest Power Act, there is no requirement of consensus in order for a recommendation to be submitted to the Council and it is possible that different parties will submit different plans for a given subbasin. However, the level of support by the affected parties in a subbasin for a plan can be an important factor in gauging how well the plan meets the standards of the Northwest Power Act, and whether that plan can be effectively implemented. Thus, the Council strongly encourages interested parties to work together as much as possible to present a single, well-supported plan for each subbasin.