Number: 1987-14
WHEREAS, the development of the hydroelectric power system in the Columbia River Basin (including parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Canada) which supplies electricity throughout the Western United States, has had significant adverse impacts on many species of wildlife and on wildlife management through construction, land inundation, water level fluctuations, public access, and power line transmission corridors; and
WHEREAS, federal agencies and private utilities have provided little or no mitigation to compensate the public for losses of wildlife habitat for a significant portion of the hydroelectric power system already constructed; and
WHEREAS, on December 20, 1980, Congress passed the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act (herein called the Power Act) which, in Section 4(h) requires protection, mitigation, and enhancement of fish and wildlife affected by the hydroelectric system; and
WHEREAS, the Power Act established a unique federal/state process resulting in the adoption of the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program designed to mitigate fish and wildlife losses within the Columbia River Basin; and
WHEREAS, the Power Act specifies that the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) shall use its power revenue fund to implement the Fish and Wildlife Program; and
WHEREAS, the BPA has refused to fund certain status reviews, loss assessments, and mitigation planning as needed at private facilities and has delayed implementation of other aspects of the wildlife mitigation program; and
WHEREAS, the wildlife element of the Fish and Wildlife Program lags significantly behind efforts to mitigate impacts upon anadromous fish;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 19-22, 1987, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, calls for full mitigation of wildlife losses occurring as a result of construction and operation of hydroelectric projects in the Columbia River Basin as required by the Power Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NWF urges the Congress with input from state and federal fish and wildlife agencies and appropriate Indian tribes to exercise its oversight responsibility to ensure implementation of the Power Act through the Fish and Wildlife Program.