April 2012 update: The Council invites your comments through May 4, 2012, on two Independent Scientific Review Panel reports:

  1. Resident Fish, Data Management, and Regional Coordination Category Review: Final Review of Proposals, document ISRP 2012-6 (Apr 2012)
  2. Resident Fish, Data Management, and Regional Coordination Category Review: Preliminary Review of Proposals, document ISRP 2012-2 (Feb 2012)

The Council is in the middle of a process under Section 4(h)(10)(D) of the Northwest Power Act to review project proposals related to Resident Fish, Data Management, and Regional Coordination to implement the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program.  As detailed below, the ISRP’s Preliminary Report that is now available for public comment is the first of two ISRP reports in this review that you will be able to comment on. The final ISRP report will be available and posted on the Council’s website on April, 4, 2012, and the comment period will be held open to May 4, 2012, to allow for an opportunity to comment on that report as well.

The Council asked the ISRP to review 80 project proposals in three categories: Resident Fish, Data Management, and Regional Coordination. We welcome your comments on any or all aspects of the ISRP’s preliminary review report and the underlying project proposals. The ISRP concluded in its preliminary review report that 24 of the project proposals meet the ISRP’s science review criteria either in whole or in part or with certain qualifications. In addition, the ISRP made a specific programmatic recommendation that applies to the 17 regional coordination proposals. The project proposals with these ISRP ratings may be found in the list of project proposals on pages 22-24 of the ISRP’s preliminary report, with links from the list to the project descriptions and the ISRP’s review comments. During this review process, there will be no further ISRP review of these 41 project proposals. The Council will consider for its final recommendation to Bonneville: the project proposals, the ISRP’s review of the project proposals, and public comments on the ISRP’s report and project proposals.  

As for the remaining 30 project proposals, the ISRP concluded in its preliminary review report that these require further information from the project sponsor before the ISRP may conclude its review. The project sponsors for these project proposals have been asked directly by the Council and the ISRP to respond to the comments in the ISRP’s preliminary report by March 7, 2012.  The ISRP will review these additional responses and will issue a final review report that will be posted for public review on April 4, 2012.  You may comment now on the ISRP’s preliminary report on these 30 project proposals, wait for the final report to submit to comment, or both. All written comments on the ISRP’s preliminary and final reports and on these project proposals must be submitted to the Council by the close of business on May 4, 2012.

The Council intends for its Fish and Wildlife Committee to consider the project proposals, the ISRP’s reports, and the public comments at the Council’s May 2012 meeting in Hood River, Oregon, on May 8-9. There may be an additional opportunity for oral comment to the Committee at that meeting, and possibly an opportunity for public comment on a draft set of project recommendations to Bonneville as time allows. The Council then anticipates making final project recommendations to Bonneville on all the project proposals in these categories at the Council’s June 2012 meeting in Missoula, Montana, on June 12-13.

For further information, contact Lynn Palensky at (503) 222-5161 or (800) 452-5161.

Thank you for your interest.