Northwest Electricity

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Northwest Electricity
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Liaison withColumbia 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.

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Columbia River Treaty

• Goals
• -- Hydropower for economic development
• and rural electrification.
• -- Water storage for hydropower and flood
  control.

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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.

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Dam impacts in Canada
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Dam impacts in the U.S.
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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.

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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.).

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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.