241 



A new draft was then prepared and another stakeholder workshop was held. During 

 this workshop concerns were expressed that the region was already "over-processed." If 

 the proposed Forum would reduce the number of processes, it was argued, then it 

 might be desirable. If it was simply a new process, overlaid on top of existing 

 processes, it would be undesirable. The study team was urged to develop an alternative 

 to reduce the amount of "process" by consolidating or synchronizing processes. 



During an internal workshop, the study team carefully analyzed the potential for 

 consolidating or synchronizing processes. Several of the most significant processes, 

 such as the deliberations of the Northwest Power Planning Council or actions under the 

 Endangered Spedes Act, are established by law and cannot be eliminated without 

 Congressional action. That leaves the possibility of synchronizing processes, and 

 developing a shared process for generating the information upon which decisions could 

 be made. At the present time, it appears that the most serious disconnect is between the 

 planning process used by the SOR agencies, and the process by which decisions are 

 made to take actions to protect fisheries under the terms of the Endangered Species Act 

 In part this is because the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service have essentially been operating under "emergency" conditions. As a result, 

 decisions are sometimes made right up to and into the operational year that conflict 

 with decisions made in the annual operations planning processes of the SOR agencies. 

 Considerable potential exists for streamlining existing conditions if the five agencies can 

 negotiate a consultation process and joint plarming cycle that still protects each agency's 

 ability to carry out its mandate. 



Based on this analysis, the study team added an additional option (Option 4) called the 

 "Decisionmaking by a Federal Consultation Forum + complete public involvement 

 program" option. Although having a five-agency decisionmaking process may not 



Final Draft - September 15, 1993 72 



