Northwest Electricity

The Council  An interstate compact of ID, MT, OR and WA, not a federal or state agency.

 Authorized by Northwest Power Act of 1980.

 Eight members, two from each state, appointed by governors.

 Headquarters in Portland, offices in the states.

 Staff of about 55; budget of about $8.5 million from federal Bonneville Power Administration.

Duties: Fish and Wildlife  Develop a program to protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife affected by hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin, and make annual project funding recommendations to BPA.

Duties: Power Planning  Develop a regional plan to assure the Northwest an adequate, efficient, economical and reliable power supply.

 Analyze the adequacy and reliability of the power supply.

Duties: Public Involvement  Provide for broad public participation in developing the power plan and fish and wildlife program, and inform the public about regional energy issues.

Accomplishments since 1980  2,448 MW of energy conservation.

 Diversified portfolio of regional resources.

 Improved fish survival at dams: -- At least doubled juvenile fish survival; -- Cut predation losses by 25 percent.

 Improved fish and wildlife habitat: -- Preserved 141,640 hectares for wildlife: -- Protected 70,811 kilometers for fish.

 Aggressive reforms of fish hatcheries.

Liaison with Columbia Basin Trust  Power Act requires the Council to treat the Columbia River and tributaries as a system.

 The river system includes the Canadian Columbia.

 July 2000 agreement recognizes that we share the basin and have similar duties.

 Trust and Council agreed to: -- Designate vice chairs as liaisons; -- Exchange visits annually; -- Pursue common objectives.

Columbia River Treaty  Goals: -- Hydropower for economic development and rural electrification.

-- Water storage for hydropower and flood control.

Treaty benefits  Water storage: -- 15.5 maf in B.C.

 Hydropower: 40-percent increase in generation in the U.S. (shared equally).  Kootenai and Columbia rivers flood control.

Dam impacts in Canada

Dam impacts in the U.S.

The Future, Part 1  Agree discussions should be collaborative and seek mutual benefits.

 Agree there are multiple future scenarios.

 Agree on need for more inclusive river management and broad public participation in identifying benefits and setting goals.

 Agree it makes sense to begin now to identify potential issues; be ready if the countries decide to negotiate a new treaty.

The Future, Part 2  Some potential issues for a new treaty: -- Flood control.

-- Hydropower.

-- Flows for fish and wildlife migration, and habitat.

-- Irrigation withdrawals.

-- Access to transmission (U.S. and B.C.).

The Future, Part 3  The Trust and the Council may host a discussion forum or series of symposia, beginning in 2005, to identify issues and search for consensus.

 Council role: Facilitate discussions and possibly advise the federal government. Council has no role in treaty negotiations.