PR 91 05 FEDERAL CAUCUS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21, 2005 Contact: See below     Feds file notice of appeal, preserve legal options PORTLAND, Ore. - Joint release from the National Marine Fisheries Service, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration. The U.S. Department of Justice today filed a notice of appeal of the U.S. District Court decisions that held the 2004 NOAA Biological Opinion invalid and remanded to develop a new biological opinion on the operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System. The appeal is on behalf of NOAA Fisheries, the agency responsible for developing the new biological opinion, and agencies responsible for operating the dams. The federal agencies responsible for operating the dams and NOAA Fisheries remain committed to developing a long-term program for strengthening endangered stocks of salmon. The agencies are committed to working with tribes, states and other stakeholders on a new biological opinion as well as on a collaborative process on actions needed to support recovery of stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act. Long-term recovery actions create the greatest opportunity to benefit weak salmon stocks. The federal agencies believe that all legal options must remain open during the remand process. This appeal does just that. For more information: Go to www.salmonrecovery.gov For further information, contact: Brian Gorman, NOAA Fisheries, 206-526-6613 Mike Hansen, Bonneville Power Administration, 503-230-4328 Diana Cross, Bureau of Reclamation, 208-378-5020 Adele Merchant, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, (503) 808-3722 Submitted for distribution on 12-21-2005 at 11:25 AM

Bonneville Power Administration, 905 N.E. 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232 Mailing Address: Media Relations - DM7, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, OR 97208-3621 Phone: (503)230-5131 FAX: (503) 230-5884 Web Site: http://www.bpa.gov