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• When entities are formed for dedsionmaking among multiple layers of 

 government they must coexist within an existing web of relationships and 

 authorities. TypicaUy they are not given full management authority 

 equivalent to the dedsioiunaking authority the SOR lead agencies now 

 exercise on the Columbia River. These new entities are often planning entities 

 — much like the Northwest Power Planning Council — which provide 

 information and influence the decisions of other entities who retain 

 decisionmaking authority. Alternatively, decisionmaking entities bring other 

 agencies into their decisionmaking in such an complete way that decisions are 

 made "as if" all the participants were party to the decision. Legally, however, 

 the decisionmaking entities retain their decisionmaking authority. 



• All of the entities have a policy group with executive level representation 

 from the Federal or state agencies and/or senior elected officials (e.g. 

 Governors) or their appointees. 



• Most also have an implementation or management group responsible for day- 

 to-day activities or operations. This committee often mirrors the policy 

 group's membership, but with operation-level staff. 



• Each program also has a significant public involvement and/or public 

 outreach program, a set of citizen advisory committees, and a set of technical 

 advisory groups. (See Figure 3) 



• Several of these entities started out v^th essentially advisory status but have, 

 over time, acquired statutory powers or are de facto decisionmaking bodies. 



Final Draft - September 15, 1993 39 



