Fish & Wildlife
There’s good news and bad news for Northwest’s salmon
First the good news: On Sept. 9, a record 64,000 adult fall chinook salmon passed Bonneville Dam near the mouth of the Columbia River. For a change, fishing limits are being adjusted upward – a great sign for our fall chinook and for Northwest fishermen.
Here’s the bad news… (read the rest online at The News Tribune.)
Read MoreFederal agencies squander chance for progress on salmon
The Obama administration’s NOAA Fisheries have released a “new” draft plan for protecting endangered Columbia and Snake River salmon that fails to address the issues that triggered federal-court rejection of the three previous plans. If finalized as is, this plan risks continued legal battles just as momentum is building for a broadly supported solutions process…
Read MoreSeattle Times: Snake River barging drop: new factor in dams debate?
Federal rulings on salmon protection continue to raise questions about dams on the Lower Snake River and the future of Lewiston, Idaho, as an inland port city. Now some wheat farmers are turning away from river barges and back to trains as their lowest-cost, most-efficient shipping option…
Read More21 groups ask BPA to reverse course on planned rollbacks of salmon spill
Later this summer, the Obama Administration will release the draft of its second try at a lawful plan to restore endangered Columbia and Snake River salmon and steelhead. This is the federal government’s fourth attempt since 2000 – all three previous plans having been ruled illegal. A key legal and scientific issue in this new plan will be the level of spill provided for salmon…
Read MoreInslee and Kitzhaber can lead a Columbia resolution – Editorials – The Olympian
For 12 years, Washington and Oregon have been on opposite sides of the Columbia Basin salmon deadlock. But Washington’s new governor, Jay Inslee, is the right leader at the right time to partner with Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber so the two states can lead the Northwest to shared and lasting solutions for salmon, energy and agriculture.
Read MoreCelebration, film showings honor Headwaters Award winners
A pair of leaders who played pivotal roles in restoring two great Northwest rivers have received prestigious Headwaters Awards from the NW Energy Coalition.
Former American Rivers northwest regional director Katherine Ransel and Seattle Audubon Society executive director Shawn Cantrell were honored at an April 24 celebration at Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum. Some 50 clean energy supporters attended the festive event, which was co-sponsored by the Save Our wild Salmon coalition.
Read MoreExecutive Director Sara Patton on BPA's next 75 years
For 75 years, the Bonneville Power Administration has been intrinsic to the growth and prosperity of the Northwest. BPA has been a boon to the Northwest’s economy and a clean energy leader. To meet the challenges – many unforeseeable — of the next 75 years, BPA must deepen its commitment to the long-term health of the region while becoming more open to all of its stakeholders. And it must be agile enough to respond to big changes…
Read MoreCoalition lauds new federal approach to recovering endangered Columbia Basin salmon
Today the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sent a letter to hundreds of stakeholders in the ongoing struggle to restore several wild salmon stocks endangered by the federal hydropower system in the Northwest.
The letter heralds a new approach by federal agencies to the myriad issues involved in Columbia Basin salmon recovery…
Read MoreFeds Maintain Status Quo as Salmon Numbers Struggle
Late last Friday, the federal “Action Agencies” (Bonneville Power Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Reclamation) that run the federal dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers, submitted their 2011 Annual Progress report to the U.S. district court in Portland, Oregon, that’s overseeing the ongoing litigation over the federal salmon plan (also known as a biological opinion). This annual self-assessment presents the agencies’ view of how well they are implementing a biological opinion (in this case, one that has already been ruled illegal in court). This morning, the main findings were presented to interested parties at NOAA’s offices in Portland….
Read the full article at Save our Wild Salmon
Read MoreNWEC comments on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Draft 2011 Expenditures Report
July 6, 2012 Mark Walker Public Affairs Division Director Northwest Power & Conservation Council 851 SW 6th Avenue, Suite 1100 Portland, Oregon 97204-1348 Dear Mr. Walker: The NW Energy Coalition appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Draft 2011 Expenditures Report: Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (“Report”),…
Read More