|
Governor Theodore
Kulongoski announced today that
Oregon
is joining the lawsuit filed by Earth Justice
and other plaintiffs to oppose the plan by
Bonneville Power Administration and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to stop spilling water
during August at four dams in the
Snake River and
Lower Columbia River
system. Instead, he is urging BPA and the Corps
to upgrade the dams’ fish passage systems.
“We need to implement a long-term solution that
can achieve the dual goals of power generation
and fish recovery,” said
Governor
Kulongoski. “Simply shutting off water spills is
not the best way to meet all the competing
economic needs.”
The spillway closures are expected to result in
the destruction of approximately 500,000
migrating juvenile salmon, according to state
and tribal fish biologists. This translates to
as many as 20,000 fewer adult salmon returning
to the
Columbia River in four to
five years. Without the ability to pass the dams
using spill water, this year’s juvenile fish
populations will attempt to reach the ocean by
swimming through the powerhouses, where many
will die in the turbulent environment.
BPA has indicated that closing the spillways
will increase revenues by increasing hydropower
generation and sales, and could result in a rate
reduction. There is not a guarantee of a rate
reduction – which has been estimated at
approximately a dime per month for homeowners.
Additionally, the state of
Oregon
does not agree that this proposal fully
mitigates for the loss of the additional fish. A
review of anticipated power demands in the
Pacific Northwest show
that BPA can meet all of the region’s demands
for hydropower without shutting off spills.
The loss of a high number of fish could have
negative long-term impacts on the many small
businesses and rural communities that depend on
commercial and sport fishing for their
livelihoods.
“No one has been able to guarantee that they
will lower rates for consumers as a result of
shutting off spills to generate and sell more
power,” said
Governor
Kulongoski. “What is guaranteed, however, is
that shutting off the spills will kill more
fish.”
Governor
Kulongoski noted that a recent federal district
court ruling by Senior Judge James Redden stated
that federal agencies need to do more to help
Oregon
’s endangered salmon species recover.
“The federal spill reduction plan, while
well-intentioned, does not help us re
solv e this issue in the
long-term,” said
Governor
Kulongoski. “There’s a better solution than
simply shutting down the spillways, and that is
to install newer, more effective spillway
systems.”
The improved fish passage technology, which uses
removable spillway weirs to pass more fish with
less water, is scheduled to be installed at two
Snake River dams.
Governor
Kulongoski wants the Corps to install the same
technology at all
Snake River and
Columbia River dams.
“We need to focus on a solution that’s best for
everyone in
Oregon
, and that means not accepting a short-term fix
at the expense of our state’s long-term health,”
said Kulongoski. “Sport anglers spent more than
$700 million in
Oregon
last year, and angling is just one of the many
segments of
Oregon
’s economy that will be negatively impacted by
this action. We need to ensure that BPA and the
Corps consider the long-term economic harm that
is likely to result from this short-term plan.”
Contact:
Mary-Ellen Glynn
503-378-6496 |
