Federal Columbia River Power System Memorandums of Agreement
The following comments were submitted in response to the open comment period described below.
Comments are numbered consecutively as they are received. Breaks in the number sequence result when comments are deleted because they
were submitted in error or have inappropriate content (such as SPAM). If you do not see your comment two business days after
you submit it, please contact (800) 622-4519.
April 7, 2008 – The federal action agencies (Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Reclamation) are proposing to enter into agreements with four tribes to provide 10-year mutual commitments for fish restoration, particularly for Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead.
BPA is seeking public comment on the proposal to enter into the agreements as negotiated, as well as on associated environmental effects.
The action agencies believe the proposed agreements will enhance overall fish restoration efforts in the region, making mitigation for the hydro system significantly more effective through a common approach.
For More Information:
http://www.salmonrecovery.gov/biological_opinions/FCRPS/2007_biop/agreements.cfm
Close of comment: 4/23/2008
- MOA0001 -
HawNearly a billion dollars in public funds with no mention of the need for harvest reform? Incredible!
- MOA0002 -
HiI commend the Nez Perce's for not signing this agreement, a buy out. Indeed a more expensive method to salmon recovery.
- MOA0003 -
hrycenko/WA recreational fishermenDivide, and CONQUER! Congrats!! BPA and the political Lap Dog, the ACofE bought 4 tribes...I TRUST the judge will see thru this farse. We will be writing him to present our view of this cheesy charade. With contempt and disgust! robert hrycenko 98253
- MOA0004 -
so typical of big, cooporate business... "if we feed them X amount of dollars, maybe they'll shut up" REMOVE those dams!! - save money, restore wild salmon! Hatcheries are a pathetic guise of blundering mismanagement.
- MOA0005 -
Howard/Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck ValleyThis is another prime example of the govt (agencies) putting tribes against tribes, the good ole "Divide an Conquer" tactic. You've convinced those 4 tribes to take the money and withdraw from opposing the dam removal. What will the Upper River Tribes get? We are the ones that are impacted by those dams, we,re the ones that lost all of our fish. The tribes that will recieve this money are below the Lower Snake River Dams and they are not impacted by the dams. They still have their fish, and they get the money too?? Boy, I don't know where you come up with all these bright ideas? What have you solved? Other than putting the tribes against one another. I am looking forward to hearing from the BPA to see what we'll get out of this? You must at least try to be fair to all of the tribes impacted by the dams, you've been more than generous to tribes that aren't impacted by the dams. The article I read said you are seeking agreements with various entities, many tribes already have agreements with the US Governments, treaties are referred to in the US Constitution as the "Supreme Law of the Land." I don't think the tribes are interested in any other agreement, they expect the US to fulfull their commitment. Sincerely, Ted Howard Cultural Resources Director Shoshone – Paiute Tribes Box 219 Owyhee, NV. 89832 Ph. (208) 759-3100 ext. 243 Fax (208) 759-3202
- MOA0006 -
A sure buyout! I cannot belive that these tribes sold out! Even the state of Oregon is disgusted with the Oregon tribes for signing. The Colvilles too! We hardly have any hunting and fishing rights, they have no problem signing that line and selling out! Makes me real mad, embarrassed to be Colville!
- MOA0007 -
Bradley/SelfTHE SINS OF OUR FATHERS I agree with Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter who recently said "We spend way too much time and money in the courts and not near enough money on the ground". However, this is how developed societies and government bureaucracies work in America and around the world. Like it or not Indian Tribes are entitled to their paybacks, in this case, monetary payments from the Federal government. Accordingly, if residential electricity rates go up a few cents, so be it. A quick look at history shows how the White Man reneged on the treaty fishing rights to indigenous populations, especially in Western Washington. A landmark Federal court decision in the 1970's gave back to the local Indian tribes their treaty right to fish. In fact, each year Washington State biologists must estimate the salmon population and allocate a percentage to the Indian Tribes first before anyone else (sport or commercial fisherman). Indians are more concerned about fish than breaching dams. The proposed settlement and agreement with the affected Indian tribes is related to the unwanted changes White Man inflicted on Indians as the country was settled and industrialized. Sadly, many habitat changes are pretty much irreversible. No matter how much money you spend today, it will not turn back the clock. There is a limit to how much anadromous fishery improvement can be realized. It is also clear there are more factors affecting the decline in salmon and steel head populations in Northern California, Western Oregon and Washington than just dams and inland habitat issues. One factor which comes to mind is the commercial overfishing by foreign "factory ships" in the Pacific and throughout the world. On the open sea, outside of our 200 mile territorial limit, there are no effective enforcement mechanisms to deter commercial overfishing by treaty partners or any regulations which many exist through the United Nations. ( It would appear treaties were made to be broken). In a holistic system, you are limited if your jurisdiction and improvements are only directed at part of the picture. This is an important economic consideration which many environmentalists have been unwilling to acknowledge. At some point, the costs of any further improvements to salmon and other fish species and their habitat becomes uneconomical and therefore, unjustified. Our society must work out the total amount of money we are willing to allocate for the purpose of making amends to Native Americans for the Sins of our Fathers.
- MOA0008 -
Griffith/selfWe do not need to increase our electrical rates to fund almost another $800,000 in fish hatcheries, etc. Hello! That is almost a BILLION DOLLARS.... Please Get Real. This proposal does not even pass the "straight face" test of reasonableness.
- MOA0009 -
Bradley/SelfHistoric degradation of Salmon and Steelhead habitat in the Columbia River Basin and reduced populations of spawning adults have many possible causes. Dams are the most visible and therefore, easiest to blame. Upland land uses such as farming in the Palouse Grassland Region and timber management practices (reliance on clear cutting) on National Forests have contributed to sedimentation of streams and tributaries which salmon depend on to reproduce. Focusing primarily on aquatic habitat can only partially addresses the long term causes of anadromous fish habitat destruction and degradation. In a holistic system, areas outside of agency jurisdiction are just as important as contributors of significant adverse effects. So, the proposed 10 year agreements will be limited in their effectiveness in improving salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin.
- MOA0010 -
LeitzWhen will involved parties finally get around to curtailing harvest of these "endangered" species. The water/power management system keeps having to shoulder the cost of fish mitigation. There were documented fish "shortages" before the hydro-system was in place. Let's quit harvesting for 2-3 seasons and see what the real cause of reduced numbers is. Commercial fishing of wild stock is one of the basest forms of raping the environment while giving nothing back. These entities do little to nothing to steward salmon "recovery" except try to direct blame on everyone else, all the while killing the same said salmon for pennies on the dollar invested. It's time to curtail the direct "taking" of this natural resource by stopping commercial harvest. Sport fishing is a "greener" use of the salmon resource. Indian fisheries should be limited to consumptive use only. Richard Leitz
- MOA0011 -
NuxollIn a time that we talk about a need to strengthen our science education in order to compete globally, it seems ironic that we ignor the majority of biologists who advocate for the removal of the 4 lower Snake dams to save wild Salmon. I can't believe that the millions of dollars to buy off the tribes could not have been ethically spent on dam removal and remediation. Your action is one giant step towards extinction and my hope is that other organizations and the Nez Perce will continue to fight this kind of status quo behavior.
- MOA0012 -
/Fixed income citizensI am struggling to pay me electricity bill and it goes up and up. My income does not go up and I need the benefit of sharing in the BPA's use of "free" water to reduce my electricity bill. The river belongs to all the citizens of Washington and Oregon. To not share in this resource is not right. They should make a reasonable profit but I don't think that is what is happening. Maybe we should charge them for the water that belongs to all of us?? Janice (Crazy old lady that lives in a barn with a very large electricity bill!)
- MOA0013 -
Smith
- MOA0014 -
Loomis/MyselfeAfter hearing about the agreement signed by the federal government (represented by the Bonneville Power Administration) that gives the three lower Columbia River treaty tribes $900 Million toward hatchery and habitat programs in exchange for their support for the latest federal plan to continue operating the dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers, I felt an overwhelming need to express my concern on this. It seems a crime to me to sit back and allow the federal government and BPA to bribe the tribal agencies into allowing the “Killing Dams” to stay in the water! When the dams were built we never imagined the devastating impact they would have on the Salmon, Steelhead and other fish and wildlife species that depended on a free-flowing river system. Now in the 21st century we are supposed to be a more “enlightened species”. It seems that our government is not so “enlightened”. The BPA and federal government has shown us that in spite of the overwhelming scientific, economic and social data gathered in favor of the removal of the Lower four Snake river Dams, bribery seems not only easier but more cost effective! How can this be? Will the dams not cost more to keep in place overtime as they grow older, need repairs and require expensive dredging for an aging shipping industry? Our WILD Salmon and Steelhead runs continue to decline every year and yet the government and BPA seem to want to wait it out long enough to let them go extinct. Then they can say “well since there are no fish in the system then we have no problem”! Please, don’t be fooled, this scenario will happen at the current rate of governmental attitude. I have had the pleasure of fishing for Steelhead on the Salmon River for 30 years and I have the same stories as thousands of other fisherman that have voiced their concerns over the years about the dams and fish. But I find it an absolute crime that in the 21st century of “human enlightenment” we can sit back and allow any species of plant or animal go extinct from bureaucratic red tape and a “do nothing attitude”. We now have the ability to correct a huge environmental mistake made many years ago that will benefit Salmon and Steelhead as well as many other species along the Columbia River Basin. The $900 million being offered to the tribes would go along way toward the removal of the “Killing Dams”! If the Wild Salmon and Steelhead of the Columbia Basin go extinct, I want the BPA and federal government to be held accountable as if they have committed a crime of environmental murder! How do we explain to our generations of the future that their government sat back and allowed the greatest runs of wild Salmon and Steelhead on this planet go extinct when they had the science and economic proof that the fish could be restored! It has the potential to be the greatest environmental crime we have ever seen carried out by our very own government that is supposed to be on our side! Please let he government and BPA know that this is not the way
- MOA0015 -
Baumann900,000.00 dollars is a steep price to pay in order to communicate with our Native American residents.It looks like we have to buy favor just to make some kind of an agreement.Of course we rate payers will pay for this agreement.Who else ?
- MOA0016 -
Gayeski/Wild Fish Conservancy
- MOA0017 -
D./Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association
*Note from BPA: The majority of this submission was over 100 pages and too large to post. To request a computer disc with the documents included with this comment submission, please call our toll-free document request line: (800) 622-4520. Thank you for your interest.*
Please find attached two cover letters and detailed submissions provided to Robert Lohn, Regional Director, NOAA Fisheries.
This material is directly pertinent the proposed MOAs, as it deals directly with Columbia-Snake River salmon and steelhead harvest rates, and the proposal by the State of Oregon, and supported by the Columbia River Tribes, to lower John Day Pool to MOP.
We remain concerned that the proposed hydro system BiOp will be ineffective given the current/future harvest allowed on key stocks. It appears inevitable to us that the BiOp will be challenged again, as the trade-off between perpetual weak fish runs induced by over harvest versus ESA salmon recovery requirements is not being adequately addressed by the federal hydropower system agencies and NOAA Fisheries. The choice between harvest (and some weak stock runs) versus "recovery" is not being made.
We also believe that your presentation of the MOA costs does not adequately provide for full disclosure. Based on the existing F&W costs posted on your agency web site, the total annual program costs will likley exceed $9 billion over the next ten years, as the $900 million attached to further MOA costs are incremental, not total annual costs. So being, there appears to be a reluctance on your part to depict the full program costs to the region's rate payers.
Again, the attached items are requested to be submitted to the administrative record, per your request for comments.
Darryll Olsen, Ph.D.
Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association
View Attachment
- MOA0018 -
Bakke/Native Fish Socity
- MOA0019 -
Wong
- MOA0020 -
Coby/Chairman, Fort Hall Business Council
- MOA0021 -
Funner
- MOA0022 -
Purkey/Program Director, CBWTP
- MOA0023 -
Saul/Student
- MOA0024 -
Karnosh/Confederated Tribes of Grand RondeSee attached Word document.
View Attachment
- MOA0025 -
Burgett/selfYour agreement with the tribes is a rip-off. The tribes will pocket the money or use it for anything other than what it is intended for. Your responsibility to the fish is bought off for 10 years. You will sell massive amounts of power to California and make Billions of $$$$$. You win, everyone else loses. You should be responsible for your actions which is on the edge of extortion or bribery with the tribes.
View Attachment
- MOA0026 -
Rodewald/Grand Coulee Project Hydroelectric
- MOA0027 -
Morrison/Pacific Biodiversity Institute
- MOA0028 -
Pace/Regional Services
- MOA0029 -
Flores/NW River Partners
- MOA0030 -
Evans/Schwabe, Williamson and Wyatt
- MOA0031 -
James/PNGC Power
- MOA0032 -
/Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition
- MOA0033 -
Neal/disgusted ratepayer
- MOA0034 -
Corwin/Public Power Council
- MOA0035 -
Kulongoski/Oregon
- MOA0036 -
Saven/Northwest Requirements Utilities
- MOA0037 -
Chairman/Shoshone Bannock TribesThis comment is a duplicate of comment "MOA0020."
View Attachment
- MOA0038 -
Buchal
- MOA0039 -
SchweigerReceived 4/29/08
View Attachment
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Finance & Rates
