Dubya and the BPA to Kill More Idaho Salmon

[JoseCuervo]

How on Earth can anybody who loves Fishing vote for Dubya? Have we ever had a worse friend for the Hook and Bullet gang?

Plan for dam spill criticized for effect on fish
Jun. 8, 2004 11:25 AM


PORTLAND, Ore. - Northwest Indian tribes and fishermen on Tuesday criticized a Bonneville Power Administration plan to reduce the amount of water spilled over hydroelectric dams this summer along the Columbia and Snake rivers, calling it a setback for salmon recovery in the region.

The summer spill has become an annual conflict between power generation for the West and salmon conservation efforts, with the BPA stuck in the middle as the lead federal agency responsible for trying to balance both energy and environmental demands.

The agency was due to release its summer plan Tuesday afternoon, followed by a news conference.

But tribes and fishermen who have looked at the preliminary spill proposal or advised in the planning said the reductions will damage fragile juvenile salmon runs down the Columbia and Snake rivers to the Pacific Ocean.

Buzz Ramsey, a spokesman for the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, called the summer spill proposal "insulting at worst and sketchy at best." He said hydroelectric turbines suck in and kill about 85 percent of Columbia River fall chinook salmon every year.

The dams generate about half the electricity in the Northwest and supplement the rest of the West during summer, when air conditioning demand peaks in Arizona and Southern California.

Utilities and industry customers support the plan, saying the boost to the regional economy would be huge.

Steven Wright, BPA administrator, is faced with turning around the finances of an agency threatened by huge cost increases caused by the Western energy crisis of 2001. Back then, Bonneville had to buy high-priced power on the wholesale market to meet demand that soared due to drought, failed deregulation in California and Enron Corp. market manipulation.

The agency reviewed more than 200 comments received in April on a draft summer spill proposal that would increase generating capacity by an estimated $35 million to $45 million.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Bush Admin. Spurns Science and Sacrifices Wild Salmon Again; Amended Spill Proposal Harms Salmon but Barely Benefits Ratepayers

PORTLAND, OR - June 8 - Today, the Bonneville Power Administration, an agency of the Bush administration, is expected to release a revised proposal to eliminate large portions of the salmon spill program in August. Spill, a required action of the current federal plan to recover endangered salmon in the Columbia and Snake rivers, is widely considered by scientists to be the safest means of getting young ocean-bound salmon past the dams.

"Another week, another administration salmon policy that hurts the Northwest," said Pat Ford, executive director, Save Our Wild Salmon. "Slashing summer spill spurns the unanimous scientific advice of Northwest fishery agencies and Indian Tribes and continues a three year pattern of failure of this administration to implement its own salmon plan."

The damage to salmon caused by stopping spill is well documented. During the 2001 drought, BPA eliminated spill on the Columbia and Snake rivers to maximize hydroelectric generation. This caused the deadliest juvenile salmon migration since the fish were listed under the Endangered Species Act. Now, these salmon are returning as adults, and early figures indicate that the 2001 spill reduction and drought had an impact on adult returns. Low returns of salmon that migrated downriver in 2001 are a major reason spring chinook salmon returns were only 47 percent of what was expected.

"This is a scientifically irresponsible and indefensible decision," said Jim Martin, former chief of fisheries, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and current member, National Wildlife Federation Board of Directors. "In this year of low water flows and high river temperatures, salmon need spill more than ever. Rather than heed that warning, BPA continues to disregard the hugely positive economic impact spill has on fishing communities and takes the politically expedient route to pad the agencies' bottom line."

The amended spill proposal, if implemented would leave young ocean-bound salmon (both listed and unlisted) at greater risk of dying from dam turbines, predators or other factors. Cutting summer spill also means that Snake River fall chinook will continue to be barged and trucked downstream in the summer despite evidence that this practice reduces survival rates.

"Under this proposal, more young salmon would be sucked from the river, loaded onto barges and trucks and moved downstream. The people of the Northwest know that salmon belong in rivers, not barges and trucks," said Rob Masonis, Northwest regional director, American Rivers. "This is a short-sighted move by the administration that ignores the long-term harm it will cause to wild salmon and salmon-dependent communities. Healthy rivers and abundant wild salmon are essential to local economies and our quality of life."

Moreover, the plan is expected to provide minimal, if any, benefits to Northwest ratepayers in the form of lower electricity bills. BPA inappropriately counts as "cost" the loss of projected extra income from the sales of excess hydropower to California.

"For the sake of running air conditioners in California, we would even further imperil a mainstay of the Northwest's culture and economy," said Sara Patton, executive director, NW Energy Coalition. "The alleged savings from curtailing spill to electric ratepayers are grossly overstated. We're talking seven cents to a maximum of 66 cents per month for residential customers."

Salmon advocates expect that the amended spill proposal will suffer from the same fundamental flaw as the earlier version -- no credible evidence that harm caused by reducing spill can be offset. BPA's new proposal is expected to contain a number of so- called "offsets," that are speculative at best, and at worst, simply won't pass scientific muster. State, federal, and tribal salmon biologists have raised numerous concerns about the efficacy of the proposed offsets, stating that for example, some (such as the Hanford Reach Protection Program) are double-counting previous requirements. Others (like the Northern Pikeminnow Removal Program increase) simply won't make up the difference. These concerns do not appear to have been sufficiently addressed.

"The federal salmon plan has already been ruled illegal and by a federal court and yet the agencies are doing even less than what is required by this insufficient plan," said Chase Davis, regional representative, Sierra Club. "The Bush administration's complete ignorance of the scientific data is astounding."

With a combined membership of over six million, Save Our Wild Salmon is a nationwide coalition of businesses, conservation organizations, commercial and sportfishing associations, river groups and taxpayer advocates working collectively to restore healthy and abundant wild salmon to the rivers and streams of the Pacific Northwest.

 

[Bambistew]

How is Bush tied into this? Is it because the administration is looking the other way and not passing legislation or did they repeal legislation to allow for the BPA to do this?

I dont' think its right, but on the other hand how many of the people in the Northwest fish for salmon? I'm sure more would if they could...

I guess the question is how many poeple want cheap power as opposed to fish? Thats part of the reason this country is as fugged up as it is... the politions have to listen to the majority of the people and that majority generally doesn't care as long as its "cheap"

 

[JoseCuervo]

Bambi...
"Bonneville Power Administration, an agency of the Bush administration".

We have an Endangered Species Act, that Dubya refuses to enforce, and is now trying to count Hatchery Fish.

The Politicians do not listen to the majority of the people, they listen to the majority of the Influence Peddlers...

 

[Bambistew]

So is the BPA a government agency?

 

[pawclaws]

BPA is an agency of the DOE and has been in business since 1932. Dang, I didn't realize that Bush had been in office that long!

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Bonneville%20Power%20Administration

 

[Nemont]

EG,

Even you can see the problem with this statement:

"Bonneville Power Administration, an agency of the Bush administration ".

Nemont

 

[Ten Bears]

He wont admit it.

 

[pawclaws]

Technically Nemont he is correct as BPA is an agency of DOE which is an agency of the Executive branch which is GW. It isn't as if he were telling lies intentionally or anything!

 

[Nemont]

I think a more correct statement would be

The Bonneville Power Administration, an agency of the federal government, Under the authority of the DOE, Authorized by an act of Congress, Subject to the laws of the U.S. which are currently executed by the Bush Administration.

Nemont

 

[pawclaws]