Northeast Oregon residents will receive several chances to share their opinions in person on the future operation of 14 federal hydropower projects in the Columbia Basin, including a meeting Monday, Nov. 21 in Pasco.
The meetings will be open house-style, with more than a dozen information stations.
A federal judge required the new study after the federal government’s latest plan for protecting threatened and endangered salmon did not consider whether breaching Snake River dams would save wild salmon.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration have announced their intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the Columbia River System operations and configurations for federal projects in the interior Columbia Basin.
In this Columbia River System Operations EIS, the three agencies will present a range of alternatives for long-term system operations and evaluate the potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts on flood risk management, irrigation, power generation, navigation, fish and wildlife, cultural resources and recreation.
The agencies are seeking comments through a public scoping period that provides anyone who is interested an opportunity to help the agencies identify issues and concerns that could be analyzed in the EIS. As part of the comment period, the agencies will host public scoping meetings throughout the Northwest, including the following locations:
* Nov. 17, Courtyard Walla Walla, The Blues Room, 550 West Rose Street, Walla Walla, 4-7 p.m.
* Nov. 21, Holiday Inn Express, 4525 Convention Place, Pasco, 4-7 p.m.
* Dec. 6, The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, River Gallery Room, 5000 Discovery Drive, The Dalles, Ore., 4-7 p.m.
Additionally, two webinars will be held Dec. 13, 2016, at 10-11:30 a.m. and 3-4:30 p.m. Information and links to the webinars will be provided on the project website.
For more information about the Columbia River System Operations EIS, please go online. Information is also available by calling 800-290-5033, though official comments are not accepted over the phone. Written comments may be submitted at any of the public meetings or mailed to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attn: CRSO EIS, P.O. Box 2870, Portland, Oregon 97208-2870. Emailed comments should be sent to comment@crso.info.
More information also is available online. Northwest RiverPartners is an alliance of farmers, utilities, ports and businesses that promote the economic and environmental benefits of the Columbia and Snake Rivers and salmon recovery policies based on sound science.
