What is the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program?
The Council is charged by the 1980 Northwest Power Act to develop a
program to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife affected by
hydroelectric development in the Columbia River Basin.
The four projects highlighted (see left) represent the variety of
activities that are funded through the Council's Columbia River Basin
Fish and Wildlife Program.
Many entities propose projects that help to implement the program,
including federal and state agencies, tribal governments, universities,
local watershed groups, and private landowners. The Council recommends
projects for funding to the Bonneville Power Administration, which
currently directs approximately $150 million annually to over 200 projects
throughout the basin. See our Fish
and Wildlife Program page for more.
Independent scientific review: a cornerstone of sound decision-making
Critical to the Council's funding recommendation decisions is the
role of independent science review. All projects funded under the Council's
Program are required through the Power Act to undergo review by an
independent science panel.
Panel members are chosen based on recommendations from the National
Research Council. The program also uses a second, related panel of
scientists to provide advice to the region on key scientific issues.
Independent scientific review is an established tradition in research
and development programs in the United States and much of the world. Such
reviews help decisionmakers separate scientific variables from other
political, economic, and cultural considerations to help ensure that
environmental decisionmaking reflects the best scientific knowledge of the
day. See our Independent Science page
for more.
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