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Final Council decision on FY 2007-09 Innovative Proposals
September 24, 2007
Bill Maslen, Director
Fish and Wildlife Division
Bonneville Power Administration
Dear Mr. Maslen:
Re: Innovative Proposal Final Decision Document
Fish and Wildlife Project Funding Recommendations for Fiscal Years
2008 through 2009
This letter reflects the final Council decision for Innovative Proposals
for Fiscal Years 2008-09. As you know, at its September 2007 meeting in
The Council recommends funding the following proposals and funding amounts:
| Proposal Number | Proposal Title |
FY 2008-09 Funding |
| 2007-521-00 | Improving Fish Habitat Using Innovative Strategies
to Remediate Contaminated Sediments in the
|
$185,112 |
| 2007-524-00 | Integrated Non-Lethal Electric Barrier and Sonar
System to Deter Marine Mammal Predation on Fish in the
|
$1,440,483 |
| 2007-513-00 | Eelgrass enhancement and restoration in the Columbia River Estuary through innovative site selection and planting techniques | $252,794 |
| 2007-516-00 | Enhancing Summer Instream Flow and Reducing Temperature in Agricultural Watersheds | $224,766 |
| 2007-535-00 | Physical and Biological Field Testing of a Flow Velocity Enhancement System (FVES) | $318,310 |
| Total: | $2,421,465 |
The funding reserved by Bonneville for Innovative projects is $2,000,000 total for FY 2008-09. This proposed action recommends funding for projects that total $2,421,465. The Committee recommends that $2,000,000 of the costs be funded from the Bonneville innovative placeholder and an additional $421,465 be funded from the “carry forward” for the Fish and Wildlife Program budget.
An agreement exists currently between the Council and Bonneville that allows for the amount of money that is under spent from the average spending target for the Program (currently $143 million) to be applied to the subsequent year’s spending target. This preserves the ability of the program to spend to an average of $143 million. The Program typically under spends the spending target each year, so it is anticipated that the under spent amount in FY 2007 will be applied to FY 2008 and similarly for FY 2009. This will provide additional funding that is not currently budgeted but that can be spent in FY 2008 and 2009. The Council recommends that the amount recommended in excess of $2 million ($421,465) be funded under this premise.
This solicitation for innovative project proposals is part of the ongoing
effort by the Council and Bonneville to implement the Council’s Columbia
River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program under the Northwest Power Act. The
Council, in its project funding recommendations to Bonneville for Fiscal
Years 2007-09, recommended that Bonneville reserve a portion of its
available funds for an innovative project solicitation. The Council did so
in large part in response to a recommendation from the Council’s Independent
Scientific Review Panel (ISRP). The purpose of seeking out innovative
projects is to improve knowledge, encourage creative thinking, and provide
an opportunity for sponsors to submit proposals that focus on testing new
methods and technologies designed to directly benefit fish and wildlife in
the
The ISRP reviewed the proposals and found that the five the Council recommends for funding substantially met the solicitation criteria: were innovative, were on-the-ground, described scientifically sound techniques, and offered potential benefits to fish and wildlife. The Council did not attach any implementation conditions to the proposals based on the ISRP review. See the ISRP report.
The Council remains concerned about the growing number of sea lions that
prey on salmon, steelhead and sturgeon at Bonneville Dam, and recently
expressed its support to members of Congress for an amendment to the Marine
Mammal Protection Act that would establish an expedited process for lethal
removal of predatory sea lions by states and tribes. Council support of
innovative proposal 200752400 (Integrated Non-Lethal Electric Barrier and
Sonar System to Deter Marine Mammal Predation on Fish in the Columbia River
System: A Demonstration Project) does not diminish the need for an expedited
takings process for predatory sea lions. The Council continues to believe
that the option of lethal removal of sea lions is essential for protecting
and rebuilding fishery resources in the
Sincerely, [signed]
Tony Grover
Director, Fish and Wildlife Division