| Salmon
Costs-How much are you willing to pay?
The Northwest salmon story is a complicated political,
economic and social debate that involves scores of
competing interest. Recent court decisions related
to recovery of endangered salmon have brought these
issues to the forefront. U.S. District Court
Judge James Redden ruled on May 26, 2005 that the federal
government’s 10-year plan for operating the Columbia
and Snake River dams violates the Endangered Species
Act (ESA) by not sufficiently protecting Northwest
salmon.
There is quite a disparity of opinions on the cause
of salmon decline, the results of current salmon recovery
and what the best steps are for the future. This
costs your public utilities, and ultimately you as
customers, millions of dollars every year through wholesale
power purchases from Bonneville Power Administration
(BPA).
For years, various environmental groups have pointed
the finger at the hydroelectric system as the major
cause of declining salmon runs in the Northwest. Unfortunately,
those arguments are based on emotions, not scientific
data. Meanwhile, it’s costing Franklin and Benton
PUD customers over $26 million each year for fish and
wildlife programs through BPA.
Each year, BPA spends nearly $700 million on salmon
recovery, a figure that could go up $67 million or
more because of Judge Redden’s recent U.S. District
Court decision that ordered Bonneville to immediately
increase the amount of water spilled over dams on the
Snake and Columbia Rivers.
Redden’s decision invalidating the National
Marine Fisheries Service 2004 Biological Opinion – or
BiOp - is especially disappointing because the plan
offered $6 billion in improvements to the region’s
dams to protect migrating salmon. The 2004 BiOp
was based on decades of scientific research and the
latest technology that would have made a very positive
difference for salmon. Now we have to go back
to working on solutions that are patched together and
don’t make sense for salmon or for Benton PUD
and Franklin PUD ratepayers. We must have solutions
and decisions that take into account salmon protection
and recovery, but we can’t continue to do so
on the backs of our ratepayers.
The court’s decision lacks sound science, common
sense, and offers little hope to help salmon. Even
more disturbing, it does not take into consideration
the detrimental impact on the economy and increased
reliance on fossil fuels that pollute the environment
and contribute to global warming. The court order
requires an unprecedented increase in water spilled
over the dams this summer with the supposed intention
of helping migrating fish.
There is no good reason to order spill this summer. Past
experience has proven that in low-water years, fish
are better off if they are transported around some
of the dams. The court decision to impose a fundamental
change in river operations was based upon speculative
assumptions of dam breaching advocates. During
low-water years, we can protect our salmon while simultaneously
using our dependable, clean, renewable source of power,
but only if we’re smart about how we operate
the river.
Salmon have been returning in record numbers for the
past five years. Despite disappointing returns
in one run this year, endangered salmon are still doing
much better than they have in a long time. What we’re
doing works.
The amount of money BPA spends on salmon directly
impacts our power rates. BPA estimates that the court
decision will increase its wholesale rates between
4 and 5 percent to recoup costs from lost power sales.
Fish and wildlife costs already account for nearly
20 percent of Benton and Franklin PUD’s customers’ electric
bill.
Franklin and Benton PUD are extremely active in the
Coalition for Smart Salmon Recovery, a regional group
that focuses on responsible spending and effective
management of salmon recovery efforts. Jean Ryckman,
Manager of Franklin PUD, is chair of the Coalition
and Jim Sanders, Manager of Benton PUD also serves
on the committee.
There must be a balance between generating power through
our hydroelectric projects and protecting salmon -
through a scientific approach.
Submitted to the Tri-City Herald by:
Jeff Hall, Commission
President, Benton PUD – 509-582-1228
Bill Gordon,
Commission President, Franklin PUD – 509-546-5973
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