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Media Summary
Contact Carol Winkel
for more information. Also see archive.
Overview for February - April 20, 2003
Media coverage of the Council from February through April 20 focused on
the Independent Scientific Advisory Board's study on the effects of spill
on juvenile fish; Bonneville's cuts to fish and wildlife funding and how
it would affect projects; and the Council's mainstem amendments.
FEBRUARY 7
Cheers and Jeers--The
Post-Register, Idaho Falls, ID
Editorial handing out praise or criticism where they see fit.
Mentions the Council: "Jeers to the Northwest Power Planning
Council for considering a cutback in spring flows on the Snake and
Columbia rivers dam system. That decision threatens the largest
downstream migration of salmon smolts to leave Idaho in nearly 50
years."
FEBRUARY 10
Health of WW River Basin Topic of Day-long Conference--The Walla
Walla Bulletin, Walla Walla, WA
Story on the Walla Walla Watershed Science and Restoration Conference and
keynote speaker, Council member Melinda Eden: "Melinda Eden, a
Milton-Freewater-area resident and Oregon's newest representative on the
Northwest Power Planning Council, will begin the conference as the keynote
speaker...discussing her perspective of water, power and fish issues in
the Pacific Northwest."
FEBRUARY 12
BPA to Raise Power Rates--The Skamania County Pioneer, Stevenson, WA
Story on Bonneville's plans to raise wholesale power rates. Mentions
the Council: "BPA is currently on a cost management program it
describes as 'stringent,' and is working with others who impact BPA rates
to bring costs down. These parties include utilities, the Northwest
Power Planning Council, Energy Northwest (which operates the region's only
nuclear plant), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of
Reclamation." Also appears in The Malheur Enterprise, Vale, OR.
FEBRUARY 13
Power Council Committed to Local Plans--The Walla Walla Bulletin,
Walla Walla, WA
Story on Council member Melinda Eden's speech at the Walla Walla Watershed
Science and Restoration Conference: "Local plans by local
people are the key to salmon restoration in the Columbia River Basin, the
newest member of the Northwest Power Planning Council said
Wednesday."
FEBRUARY 19
Bill Would Severely Diminish Fish and Game's Land-Purchases
Options--The Idaho Mountain Express, Ketchum, ID
Story on state legislation and its potential effect on Idaho Fish and
Game's ability to purchase land. Mentions the Council:
"Fish and Game's acreage grew last year when the agency purchased the
1,400-acre Boundary Creek Wildlife Management Area using funds earmarked
for habitat restoration under the 1980 Pacific Northwest Electric Power
Planning and Conservation Act. The federal law requires the
Northwest Power and Conservation Council to address the impact of Columbia
River hydro-electric dams on fish and wildlife."
FEBRUARY 20
Review Suggests Young Salmon Need Stable River Flow--The Lewiston
Tribune, Lewiston, ID
AP story on an Independent Scientific Advisory Board study presented to
the Council: "More study is needed, but the data indicate that
juvenile fish passage and survival could be improved along the lower Snake
River with better water flow management even when river levels are low,
[Charles] Coutant told the Northwest Power Planning Council
Wednesday." Also appears in The Gazette Times, Corvallis, OR;
The Walla Walla Bulletin, Walla Walla, WA; The Idaho State Journal,
Pocatello, ID; The Tri-City Herald,
Kennewick, WA; The Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID; The Daily Journal of
Commerce, Seattle, WA; and The Coastal Pilot, Brookings, OR.
Panel Favors Steady Dam Flow Over High Volumes--The
Columbian, Vancouver, WA
Story on the Independent Scientific Advisory Board's study prepared for
the Council: "A key scientific advisory panel is questioning
the value of boosting the flow of the Columbia River to help migrating
juvenile salmon, an article of faith among biologists for more than two
decades."
Salmon Restoration Programs Face Cuts--The
News Register, McMinnville, OR
AP story on the Council's recommendations to the Bonneville Power
Administration on funding reductions for fish and wildlife spending:
"The recommendations will come from a group of regional planners, the
Northwest Power Planning Council, which recently finished its review of
BPA cutbacks that are opposed by Northwest Indian tribes and
fishermen." Also appears in The Daily Tidings, Ashland, OR.
BPA Cuts to Salmon Programs Draw Fire--The
Register Guard, Eugene, OR
AP story on the Council's approval of a draft budget for fish and wildlife
spending: "The Northwest Power Planning Council ended three
days of meetings with a draft conservation budget for Bonneville intended
to stretch limited funding for hundreds of fish restoration projects in
Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington state." Also appears in
The Columbian, Vancouver, WA; The Morning News, Blackfoot, ID; The
Wahkiakum Co. Eagle, Cathlamet, WA; The Chronicle, The Dalles, OR; The
Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR; The Lewiston Tribune, Lewiston, ID; The Bend
Bulletin, Bend, OR; The Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, WA; The Walla Walla
Bulletin, Walla Walla, WA; The News Review, Roseburg, OR; The Democrat
Herald, Albany, OR; The Daily Journal of Commerce, Seattle, WA; The
Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA; The Post Register, Idaho Falls, ID; The
Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, WA; The World, Coos Bay, OR; and The
Gazette Times, Corvallis, OR.
FEBRUARY 21
In Search of Middle Ground in Salem--The Capital Press, Salem, OR
Story on Governor Kulongoski's three natural resource policy
advisors. Mentions the Council: "[David] Van't Hof, a
water rights and energy specialist, and a former clerk for Kulongoski when
he served on the Oregon Supreme Court, will keep tabs on the Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality, the Public Utility Commission, the
Northwest Power Planning Council and the Land Conservation and Development
Commission."
FEBRUARY 25
Consultants Don't See Big Impact From Proposed BPA Cuts--For
Now--The Daily Journal of Commerce, Seattle, WA
Story on the reaction to fish and wildlife cutbacks: "Yes,
consultants say, they're worried about the long-term effects of the
Northwest Power Planning Council's draft conservation budget for the
Bonneville Power Administration. But, no, it shouldn't affect the
industry too much--for now."
FEBRUARY 26
Scientists Say More Water Doesn't Aid Smolts--The Chinook Observer,
Long Beach, WA
Story on the Independent Scientific Advisory Board's study presented to
the Council: "As part of the review, the panel speculated that
higher flows with frequent hourly interruptions from power operations
could lead to decreased smolt survival."
FEBRUARY 27
Tribes Outline Plan for Rainwater Wildlife Area--The Walla Walla
Bulletin, Walla Walla, WA
Story on the tribe's management plan for property acquired through the
Council's fish and wildlife program: "The tribes acquired the
8,720-acre property in September 1998 through an agreement with the
Bonneville Power Administration under the Northwest Power Planning Council
Fish and Wildlife program for purposes of protecting, enhancing and
mitigating wildlife resources impacted by hydroelectric development in the
Columbia River Basin."
Crapo Says He's Likely to Call for Salmon Hearing--The Morning News,
Blackfoot, ID
Story on possible hearings in Idaho and Washington. Mentions the
Council: "[Senator Mike] Crapo's remarks come as the Bonneville
Power Administration comes under increased fire from the Northwest Power
Planning Council and others for threatening to cut funding dedicated to
fish and wildlife programs."
FEBRUARY 28
Northwest Indian Tribes Call for Audit of Bonneville--The Capital
Press, Salem, OR
AP story on the tribes' audit request in response to Bonneville's cutbacks
to fish and wildlife spending. Quotes Council member Tom
Karier: "'I appreciate what Bonneville is doing here,' said Tom
Karier, council vice chairman from Washington state...But he criticized
BPA administrative expenses and suggested the agency could find more
savings that could be passed along to conservation programs."
Flow Reduction Could Help Fish--The Puget Sound Business Journal,
Seattle, WA
Story on the Independent Scientific Advisory Board's study presented to
the Council: "An 11-member Independent Scientific Advisory
Board is reviewing a plan floated by the Northwest Power Planning Council
to change the way dams and reservoirs on the Columbia and Lower Snake
rivers operate."
MARCH
Let the Sun Shine and the Wind Blow--Oregon Business, Portland, OR
Story on Oregon's energy future. Mentions the Council:
"The Northwest Power Planning Council has identified 11 volcanically
active sites in Southeastern Oregon and along the Cascades in Washington,
Oregon and California that could power more than 1.3 million homes."
MARCH 1
NW Power Council Faces Challenges--The
Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, WA
Op ed by Council member Larry Cassidy on how the Council is dealing with
budget cuts to fish and wildlife spending for Fiscal Year 2003 and the
region's power supply.
MARCH 4
BPA Drops Montana Land Deals--The
Missoulian, Missoula, MT
Story on Bonneville's budget cuts for fish and wildlife spending.
Mentions the Council: "The Northwest Power Planning Council,
however, has laid at least a portion of the blame on BPA's own fiscal
managment and accounting practices."
MARCH 6
Power Firm's Cuts May Affect Land Protection--The
Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, MT
Story on Bonneville's cuts to fish and wildlife spending and how they
would affect land acquisition projects. Quotes Council member Ed
Bartlett: "'It was a major disappointment when the land
acquisitions were put on hold. I think all three are important for
Montana. To me, the only question is when they're going to get
funded."
MARCH 7
Columbia-Snake Mainstem Plan Criticized--The Capital Press, Salem,
OR
Story on the Council's proposed mainstem amendments on hydrosystem
operations: "In presenting them, NPPC Information Officer John
Harrison said the changes offer 'a set of operational plans that will not
hurt salmon and steelhead, but will improve the survival of resident fish
(in upriver reservoirs) and gain flexibility for the hydroelectric
system."
Senate Bill Would Ease Restrictions on Columbia River Water
Withdrawals--The Capital Press, Salem, OR
Story on a Senate Bill, sponsored by Senator Dave Nelson, R-Pendleton,
that would open the Columbia River to new water rights. Mentions the
Council: "The so-called moratorium on Columbia River water
rights in Oregon dates back to 1994 when the state's Water Resources
Commission decided to bring Oregon's usage of the Columbia in line with
the Northwest Power Planning Council's Columbia River Basin Fish and
Wildlife Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
policy of 'no net loss of flow.'"
High-tech Camerawork Allows Biologists to Spy on Net Pen Fish--The
Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR
Story on an experimental dam bypass system that could be a more effective,
less traumatic alternative to fish ladders, water spills, barging, and
other methods used to transport fish over or around dams. Mentions
the Council: "His [Gordon Burns] idea...has drawn interest of
the Northwest Power Planning Council and other federal
agencies." Also appears in The Capital Press, Salem, OR.
MARCH 11
Power Council Considers Dam Changes--The
Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, MT
Story on the draft mainstem amendments: "The amendments would
do away with traditional 'flow augmentation,' in which the headwater
reservoirs in Montana have been required to deliver large pulses of water
late in the summer to benefit migrating salmon in the lower Columbia River
system."
MARCH 13
Power Council Can't Find Consensus--The
Missoulian, Missoula, MT
Story on the mainstem amendments and the Council's struggle to balance the
needs of upriver resident fish with downstream salmon and steelhead.
Quotes Council member Tom Karier: "'We have a lot of different
interests at the table,' Karrier [sic] said. 'But we're all tied
together by the Power Act, which forces us to look at this from a
regionwide perspective, from the point of view of the whole basin.'"
MARCH 14
Power Key to Restarting Mead Works--The
Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA
Story on efforts to reopen the Mead smelter. In describing the
financial challenge, the article mentions the Council: "He [Tim
Stearns, a senior policy analyst with the Washington Sate Department of
Community, Trade and Economic Development] pointed to 2006-2025 forecasts
released by the Northwest Power Planning Council that prices power at
about $39 for 1 megawatt-hour..."
Rate Hike May Be the Last Straw for Smelters--The Puget Sound
Business Journal, Seattle, WA
Story on the Bonneville Power Administration's plan to raise power rates
about 15 percent and how it would affect Northwest aluminum
smelters. Quotes Council staff: "The slowed global
economy and new smelting capacity being created around the world are
contributing to the decline, said Terry Morlan, manager of economic
analysis for the Northwest Power Planning Council in Portland."
Also appears in the Portland Business Journal, Portland, OR; and the
Spokane Journal of Business, Spokane, WA.
MARCH 18
Consultant Offers Up Hope for Kaiser Plant--The
Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA
Op ed on prospects for the aluminum industry. Mentions the
Council: "The key to turbine economies is the cost of
fuel. The Northwest Power Planning Council projects prices somewhere
between $3.50 and $4 per million British thermal units."
MARCH 29
Power Council Delays Dam Recommendations--The
Columbian, Vancouver, WA
Story on the Council's decision on the draft mainstem amendments:
"Members of the Northwest Power Planning Council will wait another
week and a half before finishing a controversial set of recommendations on
how to operate federal dams on the Columbia River."
APRIL 9
Region Beams About 20 Years of Conserved Energy--The
Statesman Journal, Salem, OR
AP story on the region's success in conservation achievements, outlined in
a Council report: "Since Congress passed the Northwest Power
Act in 1980, the council's four-state region of Oregon, Idaho, Montana and
Washington saved the equivalent of 2,600 megawatts of power--roughly the
generating capacity of two large nuclear plants." Also appears
in The Bend Bulletin, Bend, OR; The Mail Tribune, Medford, OR; The
Observer, La Grande, OR; The Post-Register, Idaho Falls, ID; and The Daily
World, Aberdeen, WA.
Analysts Detail Conservation, Energy-efficiency Savings--The
Columbian, Vancouver, WA
Story on the Council's report on the region's conservation
achievements: "Analysts for the Northwest Power Planning
Council expect the region's residents, businesses and industries will save
the equivalent of 5,800 megawatts of electricity through energy efficiency
and conservation by the year 2025."
APRIL 10
Snake River on Watchdogs' Sick List--The
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA
Story on an environmentalists' report critical of the federal agencies
progress on salmon recovery. Mentions the Council and quotes Council
staff: "Doug Marker, the council's director of fish and
wildlife, argues that efforts to make inland rivers more hospitable to
salmon must continue." Also appears in The Observer, La Grande,
OR.
Lowering a Lake Looks Too Risky--The Wenatchee World, Wenatchee, WA
Op ed on proposals by the Bureau of Reclamation to lower Banks Lake by 10
feet every August. Mentions the Council: "The Northwest
Power Planning Council's scientific advisers recently surveyed the
evidence and concluded that a river boost 'is not likely to have a
dramatic beneficial effect' on salmon survival."
APRIL 11
Dams' Control Getting Trickier--The
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA
Story on the Council's draft mainstem amendments: "The decision
by the Northwest Power Planning Council followed two years of wrangling
over how much water should be run through the four-state system of massive
power-generating dams on the Snake and Columbia, and at what time of
year."
Bonneville Power Administration Refinances Debt--The
Oregonian, Portland, OR
AP story on Bonneville's efforts to manage its financial crisis.
Mentions the Council: "Jim Curtis told the Northwest Power
Planning Council that Bonneville has been restructuring high-interest debt
to the U.S. Treasury by shifting some of the cost to lower-interest debt
for Energy Northwest, the public power consortium that runs the only
nuclear plant in the region." Also appears in The Democrat
Herald, Albany, OR; The Bend Bulletin, Bend, OR; The Gazette-Times,
Corvallis, OR; The World, Coos Bay, OR; The Lewiston Tribune, Lewiston,
ID; and The Daily News, Longview, WA.
Power Panel Backs Salmon 'Experiment'--The
Columbian, Vancouver, WA
Story on the Council's adoption of the mainstem amendments:
"The four-state council proposes experimenting with flow and spill
targets established by the National Marine Fisheries Service."
NPPC Dam Decision Favors Montana Fish--The
Missoulian, Missoula, MT
Story on the Council's adoption of the mainstem amendments and how the
amendments help Montanta's resident fish: "In addition to
testing the impacts of a longer, more steady release of Montana water, the
new protocol calls for studying the relationship between water spills and
fish survival, exploring technologies such as removable spillway weirs,
determining how well fish survive being flushed through hydroelectric
turbines, and measuring the fishery benefits of augmented flows."
Changes to Northwest Plan Should Help State, Montana Councilmen
Say--The Great Falls Daily, Great Falls, MT
AP story on the Council's adoption of the mainstem amendments.
Quotes Council member John Hines: "John Hines, a Montana
representative on the planning council, said the changes will both reduce
environmental damage and create a more efficient power system."
Also appears in The Billings Gazette, Billings, MT.
APRIL 12
Council OK Dam Flows to Benefit Fish--The
Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, MT
Story on the Council's adoption of the mainstem amendments. Quotes
Council member John Hines: "Flow augmentation is a practice
that has been hotly debated for years, and now is the time to truly test
its effectiveness, Hines said."
APRIL 13
Power in the Wind--The Columbian,
Vancouver, WA
Story on the prospects of wind energy in the Northwest. Quotes
Council staff on the challenge of integrating wind power into the region's
hydrosystem: "'How much can you jerk the hydro system around on
an hour-to-hour basis?' said Jeff King, a senior resource analyst with the
Northwest Power Planning Council."
A New Kind of Power--The Daily Argus Observer, Ontario, OR
Story on Idaho Power's offer of "Green Power" to its Oregon
customers. Mentions the Council: "According to a table
developed by the Northwest Power Planning Council, the Environmental
Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation, a $15 dollar
contribution to buy 1,200 kilowatt hours in green power is the equivalent
of not driving two cars for a year."
APRIL 16
Planning Council Plan Slammed by Salmon Proponents--The
Daily Astorian, Astoria, OR
Story on the Council's mainstem amendments: "The amendments,
which the council calls an 'experiment,' will provide more constant water
levels in reservoirs behind the Hungry Horse and Libby dams, to the
benefit of ESA-protected bull trout and Kootnai River white
sturgeon."
APRIL 20
Catch 22--The Democrat
Herald, Albany, OR
Story on a fish screen project by the city of Albany, and the Council's
review of the project. Quotes Council staff: "'The
proponents, the city of Albany, had not demonstrated that there are any
fish that would be actually helped by this project,' said John Harrison,
spokesman of the Northwest Power Planning Council, an agency that
evaluated the Bonneville proposal."
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