Contact:
John Marsh, Manager, Habitat and Production
Fish and Wildlife Division
Northwest Power Planning Council
1-800-452-5161

Power Planning Council studying impact of deregulation on future power supply

Contact:
Dick Watson,
Director
Power Division
Northwest Power Planning Council
1-800-452-5161

The report by the Scientific Review Team was commissioned by the Council as part of a comprehensive review of federally funded fish hatcheries requested by Congress in 1997. Congress asked the Council to undertake the review in conjunction with the Independent Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) and report on policies to guide the use of hatcheries in the future.

The Scientific Review Team includes four ISAB members and two additional independent scientists. The six scientists collectively have expertise in fisheries management, fish culture, population dynamics, genetics, ecology and fish life history. In terms of work experience, the scientists represent fisheries management agencies, artificial production, academics, Indian tribes, and fishing interests.

Among the Scientific Review Team's 21 recommendations:

• Supplementation - the practice of releasing juvenile fish into streams to rebuild naturally spawning runs - should be linked with improvements in spawning and rearing habitat;
• Fish introduced into streams to build new, naturally spawning populations should be similar to species that once lived in the streams. Introducing non-native species should be discontinued
• Each hatchery in the Columbia River Basin should have a measurable objective and a scientifically valid monitoring program to determine whether it is meeting the objective.
• The Council should appoint an independent peer review panel to develop a basinwide artificial production program plan to meet ecological goals for hatchery management.
• New hatchery programs should focus on small facilities designed for specific stream sites where supplementation and enhancement objectives are sought. These facilities should use local stocks and water and be designed around engineered habitat to simulate the natural stream, wherever possible. Use of the facility should cease after the population becomes self-supporting
• Continue using and developing technology to more closely resemble natural incubation and rearing conditions in hatchery propagation, including developing genetic and breeding rules consistent with local fish stock characteristics. The Council will convene a workshop on artificial production in January, and then submit its recommendations for new hatchery policies, following a public comment period, to Congress in May. The Scientific Team's report is available from the Council (request Document 98-33)

Power supply analysis

The Council is studying the likelihood of future electricity shortages in the Pacific Northwest and will recommend alternatives for encouraging power suppliers to maintain reliable service in the event of severe winter weather.

Deregulation is a key factor in the future electricity supply - in the Northwest and across the country. In the past, when electric utilities were less subject to competition, utilities built power plants to meet an industry-standard level of reliability - including reserves to handle emergencies. Today, however, the wholesale power supply is largely dictated by market conditions. Many power suppliers are independent businesses that do not have a captive customer base to pay the costs of power plant construction.

"As the industry deregulates and energy providers have to bear market risk, the question is, will we continue to have adequate generation to meet the demands of a growing Northwest?," Council Chair John Etchart of Montana said.

The Bonneville Power Administration, which sells the electricity generated at federal Columbia River dams, expects to have sufficient power to meet peaks in demand this winter. But in the event of extremely cold weather, combined with low river flows, this winter the region might be as much as 700 megawatts short. That is roughly enough power for the city of Portland.

Plans are in place to deal with such a shortage, and while the probability is low this winter, it grows in future years because demand for power is expected to continue growing.

The Council's analysis addresses two key questions:

1) Is there sufficient incentive at the present time for utilities or others to build new power plants to assure reliability?

2) If not, what are the alternatives for ensuring the Northwest an adequate, reliable power supply?

The Council has appointed a 17-member advisory committee of energy industry experts to assist in the analysis. The Council will identify alternative policies to address the problem, if it appears the market does not provide adequate incentive for construction of new power plants. The Council plans to complete its analysis by next June.