(PORTLAND, OR) -- The developing COVID-19 outbreak in Washington
and Oregon has prompted federal officials to adjust two scheduled public
comment meeting for the recently released Columbia River System Operation draft
Environmental Impact Statement, the agencies announced today.
Officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of
Reclamation and the Bonneville Power Administration decided that the in-person
public comment meetings planned for Seattle and Portland will not be held due
to the high number of COVID-19 cases reported to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in those geographical areas and calls from local
officials to limit public exposure.
"Public comments are important, but so is public
safety," said Brig. Gen. D. Peter Helmlinger, commander of the Corps'
Northwestern Division. "In order to achieve both, we added
teleconference options for the public."
In all, six phone-in opportunities have been added to the ways
the public can submit comments during the comment period.
The decision to shift the Seattle and Portland meetings to
"phone only" is also consistent with calls from state and county
elected leaders and health officials. Wednesday, Washington Gov. Jay
Inslee and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown imposed restrictions on all gatherings larger
than 250 people. These directly affected the Seattle and Portland venues.
Details on when and how to call into the phone sessions will be
posted at www.crso.info. The agencies will
continue to monitor the public health situation and make further adjustments as
needed. The public is encouraged to monitor the website for any updates.
The draft EIS is available for public review online at https://cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-II/public/action/eis/search
(EPA's searchable EIS database) or www.crso.info.
