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Addendum: Responses to Specific Questions Posed by the BPA Task Force 



1. Is tfie NPPCs Strategy for Sabnon an appropriate and sufficient 

 framewoTk for sabnon recovery efforts in the Columbia Basin? What are the 

 strengths and weaknesses of ^le Strategy for SaJmon? 



If implemented on schedule in its entirety, the Council's Strategy for 

 Salmon is the region's best chance to be^ restoring these fish, and to avoid 

 a public policy "train wreck" over salmon recovery. The chief strength of 

 the Strategy for Salmon is its presumptive path to reservoir drawdowns in 

 the Lower Snake and at the John Day project. Its chief weaknesses are: 

 continued reliance on the failed experiment of juvenile fish transportation 

 (barging and trucking), and failure to set a minimiun juvenile miction 

 travel time, adult escapement goals, or rebuilding schedules. 



2. Is implementation of the Strategy for Salmon on track for timely 

 completion? How weU are federal and state agencies coordinating their 

 actiirities with each other and with the Council to achieve timely 

 implementation? 



Implementation of the Strategy for Salmon is rvot on track for timdy 

 completion. The Council told the Corps of Engineers and the BPA to 

 implement Lower Snake reservoir drawdowns by April. 1995 tmless some 

 party demonstrates an engineering, biological, economic, or legal show- 

 stopper. No party has shown such a show-stopper. Indeed tjie drawdown 

 test at Lower Granite and Little Goose projects in March. 1992 was 

 successful. Nonetheless, the Corps and BPA intend to take the next 6 years 

 studying and testing, and 14 more years implementing, the drawdowns. 

 There are numerous other provisions in the Council's plan which the Corps, 

 BPA. and other agencies are not implementing properly or promptly. 



3. BonneviUe asserts that its current firumcial condition wUl prevent or delay 

 fidl implementation of the CounciCs f^h and wOdltfe program. What 

 measures can BonnevUle take to ensure more stable Junding for the Council's 

 fish and wildlife programs, given its wide swings in revenues? 



BPA's current financial condition is of its own making from WPPSS debt, 

 from zero rate increases for the last six years, and from Bonneville's 

 deliberate departure from the least-cost path set out in the Covmcil's 

 regional power plan. BPA revenues swing widely because the agency has 

 failed to plan adequately for predictable circtunstances such as drought, low 

 aluminvun prices, and listings of threatened and endangered ssdmon stocks. 

 It sends the wrong signal to reward BPA for its 15.7 percent rate hike by 

 allowing the agency to cut or delay funding of the Council's fish and wildlife 

 program. BPA can reduce costs by applying a Reduction in Force to its top- 

 level management, its fish and wildlife division, and other unnecessary stafi" 

 or operations. 



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