(PORTLAND) -- Steve Wright was keynote speaker at
RiverPartners’ annual membership meeting. The following are thoughts he shared
regarding the critical roles of salmon, hydro and dams in the Northwest:
From the beginning we have shared a common goal: to prove
that we can mitigate for the damage caused by the federal hydro system to the
region’s fish and wildlife, while at the same time, doing so without breaching
dams and taking other such actions that fundamentally cause the loss of value
of the incredible system from which the whole region benefits.
The value of this river system is both economic and
environmental. We know that we have some of the lowest power rates in the
country, but we sometimes forget that there is a substantial environmental
value as well. We have the only large power system in the country that emits no
air emissions. No sulfur dioxide, no nitrous oxide, no mercury and importantly
no contribution to global warming. The combination of economic and
environmental benefits makes it the envy of the rest of the country, if not the
rest of the world.
The 2008 Biological Opinion (addressing the effects of the
federal dam operations on protected salmon), as amended by the 2010 Adaptive
Management Plan strives to restore threatened and endangered fish populations
while preserving both the economic and environmental value of the river system
– and it is working.
We have updated data for 49 populations of salmon and
steelhead and 47 of them are showing increasing trends in abundance since 1990.
There are a number of things that are causing that to happen: we have made
substantial investments in the hydro system, and they are paying off. The eight
main stem dams on the Columbia and the Snake rivers have all undergone
significant refurbishment in the last decade to improve fish passage. And, as a
result of this work we are ahead of schedule in terms of our goals for juvenile
fish passage survival.
But beyond that, this is a balanced program that recognizes
our goals to protect wild fish while also recognizing that there are a lot of
people out there in the Northwest who also want to go fishing. Substantial
investments in tributaries and estuary restoration provide benefits for
endangered fish – but more than that, they improve the ecological health of the
river system across the Columbia Basin. Improving aquatic health improves the
prospects for all aquatic species.
So I would argue that these are not signs of a broken
program that needs radical overhaul. We’re on a path to success, although this
is a work in progress and much remains to be done.
Recently, NOAA Fisheries has indicated it is shifting its
focus for Columbia Basin salmon by having a conversation that goes beyond the
hydro system and pointing toward the post-2018 period. I think this is an
appropriate discussion because we have a conclusion date in the Biological
Opinion of 2018, and there is uncertainty after that. So, all the factors that
impact salmon should be on the table. This is a regional problem and it needs
to be managed in a way that recognizes all the human-caused salmon mortality in
the system.
The Clinton, Bush and Obama Administrations have all said at
various times and in various ways that with respect to salmon restoration we
should strive for both economic and environmental health in this region. I
translate that to mean we can achieve salmon restoration and have the economic
and environmental benefits from dams too. My impression is that Northwest
RiverPartners has stood for that premise. It has been successful in
articulating that mission. And now that mission is going to grow – to create an
understanding that this hydro system provides both an economic and
environmental value. We’ve spent the last year at BPA telling that story as
part of our 75th anniversary. But there’s more to be done and I’m glad to hear
that you are seeking to amplify that message.
It’s been a real honor to serve as BPA Administrator for the
last 12 years. What have been especially memorable are the stories where
collaboration has addressed and solved difficult and controversial issues. I
remember many of the great debates that happened here and ways we’ve found to
resolve them – these are lasting and fond memories for me. It’s been a great
pleasure to work with RiverPartners and I thank you for this opportunity.
(Steve Wright will retire as Administrator in February. Bill
Drummond, Bonneville Power Administration’s Assistant Administrator, has been
selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to succeed Wright.)
