575 



Council's Fish and Wildlife Program called for the lowering of 

 John Day pool by 1994, yet the Corps now plans an absurd 6 years 

 of study before it begins the work. The states of Oregon, 

 Washington and Idaho, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service all recently reiterated their 

 support for these measures, yet the federal agencies failed to 

 budget the funds needed for even preliminary activities in 1994. 

 The agencies' approach to these measures (which other speakers 

 will describe in greater detail) leaves serious doubt about their 

 intention of implementing them at all. 



The framework of rebuilding schedules and performance objectives, 

 which is crucial to any effort to define and monitor program 

 success, also lags behind schedule. Bonneville's budget cuts to 

 the Fish and wildlife Program this year apparently threatened 

 further delay in the effort to establish a framework of 

 rebuilding schedules and survival goals. While I understand that 

 Bonneville and the Council have now resolved the dispute over 

 adequate funding for next year's program, the tension over the 

 cost of the program remains real. It should be addressed in the 

 future with the full participation of the Council (see quest. 3) . 



That agreement does not, to my knowledge, cover funding for 

 progress toward the lowering of John Day Pool or Lower Granite. 

 Although the Corps would normally appropriate the money for this 

 measure, Bonneville could get things moving by appropriating 

 funds for a reluctant Corps, just as it did for bypass screens. 



Recommendation: Ensure that Bonneville continues to fully fund 

 and implement the salmon program, and that any prioritization 

 occurs with the approval of the Council. 



3. Bonneville asserts that its current financial condition will 

 prevent or delay full implementation of the Council's fish and 

 wildlife program. What measures can Bonneville take to ensure 

 more stable funding for the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program- 

 given its wide swings in revenues? 



Bonneville's financial condition is not, or at least does not 

 have to be, beyond its control. Bonneville chose to raise rates 

 15.7 percent rather than 17 percent this year. It chose to lower 

 electricity rates in real terms over the past 10 years rather 

 than raise them gradually, avoiding the political fallout that 

 attends a double-digit hike. It chose to continue a discount for 

 irrigation customers that cost other billpayers about a percent 

 in higher rates, with no valid justification for doing so. And 

 it chose to continue a subsidy to aluminum companies that raised 

 overall rates by several points. In light of these choices, 

 Bonneville's admittedly troubled financial condition hardly 

 justifies failure to implement the Salmon Strategy. 



