Yesterday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) introduced the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA, H.R.3080). This is the legislation that authorizes projects and policies relating to the Corps of Engineers. Key PNWA issues addressed in the bill include the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, Inland Waterways Trust Fund and Section 214. As previously reported, the Senate released their version of the WRDA bill earlier this year (S.601).  

PNWA staff are currently reviewing the legislation, and will provide a report shortly. We have just arrived back in Portland from spending three days on the ground in Washington, DC where we were able to meet with ASA Darcy's office, Corps Headquarters, our Northwest Congressional delegation and Committee staff, to discuss our issues and projects. PNWA priorities for water resources legislation were a big part of those discussions.

A press release and full text of H.R.3080, as well as a wonderful video highlighting the importance of this legislation are available here. WRRDA is expected to move quickly through the House, with Committee mark-up on September 19 and full House debate and vote on October 8. For more information, contact Heather Stebbings.  

On September 9th, NOAA Fisheries released a draft of the 2013 Supplemental FCRPS Biological Opinion. NOAA will accept public comments through early October, and will develop a final biological opinion by December 2013.

The three FCRPS Action Agencies are the Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Administration, and the Bureau of Reclamation. The FCRPS Biological Opinion guides the agencies in operating the FCRPS and requires a series of mitigation measures, called Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (RPAs).

The 2008 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion (FCRPS BiOp) described a comprehensive series of actions to improve the status of 13 salmon and steelhead species throughout their life cycle. The suite of actions, called the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA), included among other things hydropower passage, estuary and tributary habitat, hatchery and predation management improvements needed to avoid or minimize harm to the species and their habitats. The actions would occur over a 10-year period, through 2018. The RPA also included an adaptive management framework to monitor and adjust implementation as necessary to achieve survival improvements identified in the 2008 FCRPS BiOp.

The FCRPS BiOp was updated in 2009 to improve monitoring of potential uncertainties and to establish contingency measures should fish abundance decline. In 2010, NOAA Fisheries reexamined and validated the 2008 conclusions in a Supplemental Biological Opinion. This 2013 Draft Supplemental FCRPS BiOp addresses a 2011 Court Remand Order requiring more specific identification of habitat actions planned for the 2014-2018 period and requiring NOAA Fisheries to reexamine the 2008/2010 Biological Opinions.

Northwest ports and navigation interests have always strongly supported robust salmon recovery efforts that preserve the multiple uses of the river system. PNWA staff is currently reviewing the 751-page draft, and will submit comment to the agencies. Our initial review of the document indicates that the federal agencies have met the requirements set out by Judge Redden in 2011, while continuing to deliver the authorized purposes of the dams.

Comments may be submitted to: 2013DraftFCRPS@noaa.gov through October 7th. For more information about PNWA's engagement on the FCRPS BiOp, contact Kristin Meira.

On Thursday, September 5th, representatives of PNWA's navigation membership had the opportunity to continue their dialogue with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and their contractors regarding analysis that is being performed related to the Columbia River Treaty. This is the third in a series of meetings that began in December 2012. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Northwestern Division and the Bonneville Power Administration constitute the "U.S. Entity", which is evaluating the historic 1964 agreement between the United States and Canada for coordinated operation of the Columbia River.

PNWA has expressed concern through several comment letters regarding the significant impacts to navigation and navigation structures if there is a deviation from the current approach to managing flood waters on the river system. In earlier meetings with the U.S. Entity, navigation stakeholders have requested analysis of the impacts to the Corps' dredging program, which are very likely to occur if the United States pursues changes to the current approach for managing spring high flows and fall low flows. Last week, PNWA members received the results of this analysis, which confirmed that several of the flood control approaches currently being modeled by the U.S. Entity would result in an increased occurrence of flows which have historically presented significant challenges to the Corps' ability to maintain the deep draft Lower Columbia River navigation channel.

To date, the potential financial impacts to the Corps dredging program have not been evaluated. Given the significance of this navigation infrastructure to the Northwest and the nation, PNWA feels it is critical to quantify how much additional federal funding will be required to maintain the deep draft Columbia River if changes are proposed to the current approach to managing flows on the river system. Failure to capture these increased costs would result in an incomplete picture of the burdens which would be shouldered by the U.S. taxpayer after 2024.

This Friday, three PNWA members and one PNWA staffer will participate in an invitation-only briefing with a representative from the State Department, as well as reps from the U.S. Entity. This briefing will also include representatives from regional irrigation and flood control interests. Separate briefings will be conducted with utilities, as well as tribal and environmental reps. A final, public briefing will be held in the afternoon.

Comments on the "Working Draft of a Regional Recommendation" for the Columbia River Treaty were due on August 16th. PNWA submitted comments, which you can view here. The U.S. Entity has recently e-mailed interested stakeholders to note that the Draft Regional Recommendation will be released on September 20. At that time the Entity will provide details on opportunities to discuss further the future of the Treaty, and information about how to comment on the Draft Regional Recommendation.

For more information about PNWA's engagement on the Columbia River Treaty, please contact Kristin Meira.

Discounted registration fees and lodging are available until September 18th. Registration for congressional and federal agency staff is complimentary. Register today!