Monthly Archives: June 2009

Political snapshot ’09Q2: lower Snake dam removal

Weeding through the records emerging from Judge Redden’s courtroom and the Obama administration’s latest meeting (distilled best by EarthJustice), it seems that Redden will not finalize a plan for Northwest Salmon until early August, 2009.  We in the orca and salmon conservation communities would do well by the endangered animals to use these next 6 weeks to organize ourselves and brainstorm creative ways to influence the political/economic/legal processes so that we re-balance the priorities of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and the BPA.

How can we in western Washington influence the BPA economically?  Through petitioning our local electricity utilities to pay more overall in return for increasing summer flows (and passing on revenue from selling to CA during air-conditioning season) — investing in the preservation of our regional icons?

Can we convince Lubchencko to hear all of our voices on her next regional visit?

Below are some of my notes on what has been happening recently.  Does anyone have a synopsis of which regional leaders are on the orcas/salmon side?  How can we educate or influence Gov. Gregoire, Senator Murray, Rep. McMorris Rodgers, and their like?

Legal interpretation from Keith Rizzardi:

The opinion represents a setback for federal biologists, but solutions will never be easy to come in this struggle between carbon-friendly hydroelectric power and threatened and endangered salmonid species.  The letter also represents an unusual acknowledgement of politics, and the realities of a change in presidential administrations.  In a letter last week to Judge Redden, the Justice Department said top officials in the Obama administration want a delay of up to two months to “more fully understand all aspects” of the plan. See Capital Press.  Judge Redden’s letter represents a prodding response.  “I applaud the new administration’s efforts to understand, and become more fully engaged in the complex issues presented by this case.”  In other words, rather than issuing an opinion, Judge Redden gave the Obama Administration an opportunity to take another look at the circumstances, and to reconsider the current course.

May 18 report about Judge Redden’s preliminary conclusions about the 2008 BiOp, or plan for operating the dams, from EarthJustice includes a scan of a letter from Redden to stakeholders.

Guest editorial by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers:

Despite this success, there are still some that continue to wage war on our dams, namely the removal of the four lower Snake River dams.  What is missing from this debate is the fact that removal of the Snake River dams would add 5.4 million tons of CO2 to the atmosphere each year and it would take three nuclear, six coal-fired, or 14 gas fired power plants to replace their electricity generation.  The dams also serve as the base resource for integrating wind energy into the Northwest grid.

I feel this hearing was the first step toward a better understanding in Congress about the value of hydropower and I look forward to forming a bi-partisan Congressional Caucus to protect and promote hydropower.

The river systems throughout the Pacific Northwest are a critical part of our region’s economy and should be used for transportation, irrigation and recreation. These dams built our economy and continue to contribute to our way of life.

Responses to her opinion:

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/jun/09/dams-led-to-damages/

Not only have these four dams destroyed our salmon, they have cost the American taxpayer far more than they have given us. These bloated federal projects have cost $11 billion since 1987 and will cost the public another $15 billion to $18 billion in the next 20 years. This cost for 1,000 megawatts (4 percent of the Northwest grid) of power per year. The BPA says that 4,600 megawatts of wind power are in the pipeline and could be contributing in five years.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/jun/06/congresswoman-out-of-step/

Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers would do well to take a lesson from Sen. Crapo and look to the interests of the wider region rather than her own narrower agenda when she purports to suggest solutions to the Snake River salmon crisis.

U.S. climate change looks bad for salmon

Yesterday the U.S. Global Research Program announced the publication of a report that summarizes the science and the impacts of climate change on the United States. The chapter on the Pacific Northwest is ominous reading for salmon and orcas. Two disconcerting predictions are: because precipitation is shifting from snow to rain, peak river flow is shifting away from the late spring flood towards higher winter flows that may scour eggs and carries smolts too soon to the sea; removing the Snake River dams may eventually become an ineffective salmon conservation measure because air temperatures are rising in the up-river Columbia tributaries to levels that could heat waters above what salmon can tolerate in ~1/3 of their existing habitat.
clipped from www.globalchange.gov
Global Change
alt

Download the Report
Regional Climate Change Impacts
Northwest
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Progress on Victoria sewage

Despite the outstanding questions about measurable impacts and cost/benefit ratios, this constitutes progress for the marine environment of the SRKWs. Does anyone have pointers to the independent reports mentioned in this article?
clipped from seattletimes.nwsource.com
The Seattle Times
Victoria to stop sending untreated sewage to sea

Regional politicians last week approved a $1.2 billion plan to build four treatment plants to handle about 34 million gallons of raw sewage that Victoria and six suburbs pump into the Strait of Juan de Fuca each day. The cities are home to about 300,000 people.

Environmentalists say untreated sewage contains toxic chemicals, heavy metals and other contaminants that pollute waters and harm aquatic life. It’s also one of many sources contaminating the region’s killer whales, they say.

In 2006, the British Columbia government ordered the Victoria area to develop a sewage treatment plan.

four plants in Esquimalt, Saanich East, the West Shore and Clover Point, Victoria. The plants could be online by 2016.
The province also released a report that found contamination of the seabed around sewer outfalls.
The wastewater is pumped out of two outfalls that run about 213 feet deep and about a mile into the strait.
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Who will be the NW Regional Admin at NOAA?

Interesting that only the NW region has a politically-appointed administrator; the other 5 regions have career admins…

It took 9 months for Bush Administration to post Lohn to the job. Will Obama/Lubchenko act faster for the sake of our salmon and killer whales?

clipped from www.cbbulletin.com

Lohn Out As NOAA Fisheries Regional Director, Deputy Now Acting Administrator
Posted on
Friday, February 13, 2009 (PST)
With the dawning of a new administration, NOAA Fisheries Service’s only politically appointed regional administrator — the Northwest’s Bob Lohn – was ushered out.
“He was a political appointee and they all went out at noon on the 20th,” NOAA Fisheries spokesman Brian Gorman said. Jan. 20 was inauguration day for President Barack Obama. Lohn led the region’s salmon recovery effort, along with other duties, for more than seven years.
Filling in as acting administrator for the Northwest Region is Barry Thom, who had been serving as deputy regional administrator.
Brian Hooker said Wednesday said he did not know how soon a permanent replacement for Lohn would be selected, or whether that replacement would be a “career” civil servant or a political appointee.
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