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COMPLETE STATEMENT OF 



MAJOR GENERAL ERNEST J. HARRELL 



COMMANDER, NORTH PACIFIC DIVISION 



BEFORE THE 



HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES 



BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION TASK FORCE 



FIELD HEARING ON 



RECOVERY OF SALMON STOCKS IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN 



SEPTEMBER 24, 1993 



8:00 A.M. 



GOLD ROOM OF THE STATE HOUSE 



BOISE, IDAHO 



I . INTRODUCTION 



Chairman DeFazio and members of the Bonneville Power 

 Administration Task Force, I am Major General Ernest J. Harrell, 

 Commander of the North Pacific Division, U.S. Army Corps of 

 Engineers. I appreciate this opportunity to present the Army's 

 perspective on recovery efforts for Columbia and Snake River 

 salmon stocks. A myriad of Federal, tribal and state agencies, 

 interest groups and members of the public have invested their 

 considerable resources in the search for solutions to the 

 problems of declining salmon stocks. Although we are 

 consistently meeting and talking with one another to exchange 

 ideas on these issues, it is useful to participate in a forum 

 such as this so we can reflect on where we've been, report on the 

 progress we have made, examine scientific, policy and legal 

 issues and consider the sort of questions you are asking. 



II. RESPONSE TO COMMITTEE QUESTIONS 



I would like to address the questions raised in your letter 

 of invitation. My responses to all questions except Bonneville 

 Power Administration financial condition, which I defer to the 

 BPA for response, are presented below. 



Assessment of Council Strategy 



You ask if the Northwest Power Planning Council's Strategy 

 for Salmon is an appropriate and sufficient framework for salmon 

 recovery efforts in the Columbia River Basin. Since 1982, the 

 Corps has worked closely with the Council to implement its fish 

 and wildlife plan. We have had the opportunity to see first-hand 

 the challenges faced by the Council in developing a Columbia 

 River Basin fish and wildlife program. 



The Council's program is a multi-faceted plan that explores 

 means of better configuring and operating the Columbia River 

 hydrosystem to benefit fish and wildlife in the basin. In so 

 doing, the Council has recognized the need to address habitat. 



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