Bonneville Power Administration
Obligations to Fish and Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest Gao ID: GAO-03-844T June 4, 2003The Bonneville Power Administration produces a large portion of the Pacific Northwest's electric power, largely from hydroelectric projects in the Federal Columbia River Power System. Bonneville also has obligations to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife populations affected by these hydroelectric projects. In the past several years, Bonneville has experienced financial difficulties, in part because of rising costs of providing power, lower-than-projected revenue from selling surplus power, and drought conditions. Bonneville's financial situation may adversely affect fish and wildlife. Stakeholders have expressed concern that Bonneville has effectively reduced spending on fish and wildlife programs. This testimony addresses (1) Bonneville's statutory and other obligations to support fish and wildlife programs, (2) Bonneville's historical spending and other efforts in support of fish and wildlife, (3) Bonneville's current financial condition, (4) Bonneville's recent actions that affect fish and wildlife programs, and (5) challenges Bonneville faces in supplying electricity to the region while simultaneously protecting, mitigating and enhancing fish and wildlife.
In accordance with the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act of 1980, Bonneville must ensure an adequate, efficient, economical, and reliable power supply for the Pacific Northwest while also protecting, mitigating and enhancing fish and wildlife. Under other laws and presidential directives, Bonneville is also required to consult with Indian tribes and fulfill trust responsibilities for fish and wildlife. Finally, Bonneville must comply with the Endangered Species Act as it pertains to fish and wildlife that have been listed as either endangered or threatened. Between fiscal years 1997 and 2001, Bonneville spent over $1.1 billion to support fish and wildlife programs, primarily salmon and steelhead. These expenditures funded fish and wildlife projects undertaken by Bonneville, other federal agencies, Indian tribes, private and state entities. Bonneville has also funded related operations, maintenance, and capital costs for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Additionally, Bonneville estimates that spilling water from dams to enhance fish survival has resulted in over $2.2 billion in foregone revenue or increased power purchases. Bonneville is currently in a financial crisis. Cash reserves have fallen and Bonneville estimates an increased risk that it will miss future Treasury debt payments. To avoid defaulting on Treasury debt and to cover its costs, Bonneville has increased its power rates by more than 40 percent since fiscal year 2001, and is considering further increases. Recent Bonneville actions appear to have caused financial difficulties for some fish and wildlife programs. Representatives of the Northwest Power Planning Council and some Indian tribes have pointed out that a change in Bonneville's budgeting approach resulted in the loss of around $40 million in fish and wildlife funding for fiscal year 2003. Bonneville described the change as necessary to improve management controls over fish and wildlife program funding. Bonneville has also placed on hold plans to acquire land to be used as habitat for fish and wildlife. Bonneville's two roles, as supplier of economical and reliable power and as protector of fish and wildlife, inherently conflict. Bonneville spills water to benefit fish and directly funds fish and wildlife projects. These actions reduce power revenue and increase costs. On the other hand, demands on Bonneville to supply greater amounts of power put pressure on fish and wildlife, through more intensive use of generating facilities at the expense of spilling water, and reduced revenues available for funding fish and wildlife programs as has occurred during the current crisis. Given Bonneville's dual roles, conflicts are inevitable and will likely become more intense if growing power demands bump up against increased efforts to mitigate damage to fish and wildlife.
GAO-03-844T, Bonneville Power Administration: Obligations to Fish and Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest
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Testimony:
Before the Committee on Indian Affairs, U.S. Senate:
United States General Accounting Office:
GAO:
For Release on Delivery Expected at 2:00 pm:
June 4, 2003:
Bonneville Power Administration:
Obligations to Fish and Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest:
Statement of Jim Wells, Director
Natural Resources and Environment Team:
GAO-03-844T:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-03-844T, a report to the Senate Committee on Indian
Affairs
Why GAO Did This Study:
The Bonneville Power Administration produces a large portion of the
Pacific Northwest‘s electric power, largely from hydroelectric
projects in the Federal Columbia River Power System. Bonneville also
has obligations to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife
populations affected by these hydroelectric projects. In the past
several years, Bonneville has experienced financial difficulties, in
part because of rising costs of providing power, lower-than-projected
revenue from selling surplus power, and drought conditions.
Bonneville‘s financial situation may adversely affect fish and
wildlife. Stakeholders have expressed concern that Bonneville has
effectively reduced spending on fish and wildlife programs.
This testimony addresses (1) Bonneville‘s statutory and other
obligations to support fish and wildlife programs, (2) Bonneville‘s
historical spending and other efforts in support of fish and wildlife,
(3) Bonneville‘s current financial condition, (4) Bonneville‘s recent
actions that affect fish and wildlife programs, and (5) challenges
Bonneville faces in supplying electricity to the region while
simultaneously protecting, mitigating and enhancing fish and
wildlife.
what GAO Found:
In accordance with the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and
Conservation Act of 1980, Bonneville must ensure an adequate,
efficient, economical, and reliable power supply for the Pacific
Northwest while also protecting, mitigating and enhancing fish and
wildlife. Under other laws and presidential directives, Bonneville is
also required to consult with Indian tribes and fulfill trust
responsibilities for fish and wildlife. Finally, Bonneville must
comply with the Endangered Species Act as it pertains to fish and
wildlife that have been listed as either endangered or threatened.
Between fiscal years 1997 and 2001, Bonneville spent over $1.1 billion
to support fish and wildlife programs, primarily salmon and steelhead.
These expenditures funded fish and wildlife projects undertaken by
Bonneville, other federal agencies, Indian tribes, private and state
entities. Bonneville has also funded related operations, maintenance,
and capital costs for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of
Reclamation, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Additionally,
Bonneville estimates that spilling water from dams to enhance fish
survival has resulted in over $2.2 billion in foregone revenue or
increased power purchases.
Bonneville is currently in a financial crisis. Cash reserves have
fallen and Bonneville estimates an increased risk that it will miss
future Treasury debt payments. To avoid defaulting on Treasury debt
and to cover its costs, Bonneville has increased its power rates by
more than 40 percent since fiscal year 2001, and is considering
further increases.
Recent Bonneville actions appear to have caused financial difficulties
for some fish and wildlife programs. Representatives of the Northwest
Power Planning Council and some Indian tribes have pointed out that a
change in Bonneville‘s budgeting approach resulted in the loss of
around $40 million in fish and wildlife funding for fiscal year 2003.
Bonneville described the change as necessary to improve management
controls over fish and wildlife program funding. Bonneville has also
placed on hold plans to acquire land to be used as habitat for fish
and wildlife.
Bonneville‘s two roles, as supplier of economical and reliable power
and as protector of fish and wildlife, inherently conflict.
Bonneville spills water to benefit fish and directly funds fish and
wildlife projects. These actions reduce power revenue and increase
costs. On the other hand, demands on Bonneville to supply greater
amounts of power put pressure on fish and wildlife, through more
intensive use of generating facilities at the expense of spilling
water, and reduced revenues available for funding fish and wildlife
programs as has occurred during the current crisis. Given
Bonneville‘s dual roles, conflicts are inevitable and will likely
become more intense if growing power demands bump up against increased
efforts to mitigate damage to fish and wildlife.
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-844T.
To view the full product, including the scope
and methodology, click on the link above.
For more information, contact Jim Wells at (202) 512-3841 or
wellsj@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:
We are pleased to be here today to discuss the Bonneville Power
Administration's roles in providing power and protecting fish and
wildlife in the Northwest. As you know, Bonneville provides a large
fraction of the Pacific Northwest's electric power, produced largely
from hydroelectric projects in the Federal Columbia River Power System.
Bonneville also has obligations to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish
and wildlife populations affected by these hydroelectric projects.
Through its revenues from power sales, Bonneville provides the majority
of fish and wildlife program money in the region. Over the past 20
years, demand for electric power in the region has grown and
Bonneville's involvement in and expenditures on fish and wildlife
programs have increased.
In the past several years, Bonneville has faced increasing financial
difficulty, in part because of drought conditions, rising costs of
providing power, and lower-than-projected revenue from selling surplus
power. This financial situation has implications for fish and wildlife.
For example, during the drought of 2001, Bonneville determined that in
order to maintain an adequate and reliable power supply during the
declared power emergency, available water would be used to generate
electricity rather than spilled (released) over the dams to aid
juvenile fish passage. Significantly reducing the amount of water
spilled over the dams can affect the survival rates of some juvenile
populations of migrating fish, which in turn ultimately reduces the
number of adults returning to spawn in the future. In addition, a
number of stakeholders have expressed concern that some Bonneville
actions have effectively reduced spending on fish and wildlife
programs.
In this context, you asked us to (1) discuss Bonneville's statutory and
other obligations to support fish and wildlife programs, (2) describe
Bonneville's historical spending and other efforts in support of fish
and wildlife protection and enhancement, (3) evaluate Bonneville's
current financial condition, (4) discuss some of Bonneville's recent
management actions that affect fish and wildlife programs, and (5)
discuss challenges Bonneville faces in supplying electricity to the
region while simultaneously protecting, mitigating, and enhancing fish
and wildlife. To meet these objectives, we relied on information in our
previous report on salmon and steelhead recovery efforts[Footnote 1],
interviewed officials at Bonneville, and interviewed stakeholders in
Bonneville's fish and wildlife programs, including the Northwest
Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council (Power Planning
Council)[Footnote 2] and the Columbia River Intertribal Fish
Commission.[Footnote 3] At the request of Chairman Hobson and Ranking
Member Visclosky of House Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and
Water Development, we are also currently in the process of reviewing
Bonneville's financial situation. This statement includes the
preliminary findings of this effort as well.
In summary, we found that:
In accordance with the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and
Conservation Act (Northwest Power Act) of 1980, Bonneville is required
to ensure an adequate, efficient, economical, and reliable power supply
for the Pacific Northwest and also to protect, mitigate, and enhance
fish and wildlife affected by operation of the Federal Columbia River
Power System. Under the provisions of various treaties, laws, court
cases, and presidential directives, Bonneville is required to consult
with Indian tribes and to fulfill trust responsibilities for fish and
wildlife. Under various laws, Bonneville also funds fish and wildlife
mitigation costs incurred by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau
of Reclamation. These costs may arise as a result of compliance with
biological opinions issued by the National Oceanographic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries (formerly the National
Marine Fisheries Service) and the Fish and Wildlife Service or as
mitigation measures recommended in the Columbia River Fish and Wildlife
Program adopted by the Power Planning Council. In addition, a number of
fish populations in the region have been listed as either threatened or
endangered under the Endangered Species Act. With these listings,
Bonneville and other federal agencies became responsible for ensuring
that operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System does not
jeopardize the continued existence of these populations.
From fiscal years 1997 through 2001, Bonneville spent over $1.1 billion
in support of fish and wildlife programs--primarily to benefit salmon
and steelhead. Some of these expenditures have funded fish and wildlife
efforts, including those undertaken by Bonneville, other federal
agencies, Indian tribes, and the four northwest states (Idaho, Montana,
Oregon, and Washington). Bonneville has also funded operations and
maintenance and capital costs for the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau
of Reclamation, and the Fish and Wildlife Service for projects such as
fish bypass facilities at dams and fish hatcheries. In addition,
Bonneville estimates that from fiscal years 1997 through 2001, spilling
water from dams and augmenting flows to enhance fish survival resulted
in over $2.2 billion in forgone revenues or increased power purchases.
Bonneville is currently in a financial crisis. Cash reserves have
fallen and Bonneville has estimated an increased risk that it will miss
future Treasury debt payments. Specifically, for the fiscal year 2002-
2006 rate period, Bonneville estimates that its costs will be about
$5.3 billion higher than for the previous five-year rate period and
revenues will be about $1.4 billion less than projected in June 2001.
To avoid defaulting on Treasury debt and to cover its costs as required
by law, Bonneville has increased its rates for power by over 40 percent
since fiscal year 2001 and is considering further increases. In
addition, Bonneville has plans to reduce costs and hopes that favorable
water and price conditions will enable it to increase revenues from
power sales.
Some recent management actions by Bonneville appear to have adversely
affected fish and wildlife programs enhancement efforts. Specifically,
Power Planning Council staff and representatives of some Indian tribes
have pointed out that a change in Bonneville's approach to budgeting
for fish and wildlife expenditures, adopted in October 2002, caused the
loss of around $40 million in planned fish and wildlife funding for
2003. Stakeholders have also observed that the budgeting change was not
well understood by program managers and that funding was lost when
expenditures incurred in fiscal year 2002 were counted by Bonneville
against fiscal year 2003 fund levels. Bonneville staff described the
change as necessary to improve management controls over the funding of
fish and wildlife programs but acknowledged that the change in
budgeting was abrupt and not well understood by many of those affected
by the change. Bonneville has also placed on hold its plans to acquire
land to be used as habitat for fish and wildlife and is working with
the Power Planning Council and constituents on how to prioritize
purchases in the future.
Bonneville's dual roles--as supplier of economical and reliable power
and as protector of fish and wildlife--inherently conflict. Supporting
fish and wildlife efforts, either by spilling water that could
otherwise be used to generate electricity, or by directly funding other
fish and wildlife programs, can only be achieved by raising
Bonneville's power rates. On the other hand, demands on Bonneville to
supply greater amounts of power will put pressure on fish and wildlife,
either through more intensive use of generating facilities at the
expense of spilling water, or through reduced revenues available for
funding fish and wildlife programs as has occurred during the current
crisis. Bonneville's management problem is more severe in drought
years--lower water availability causes both higher electricity prices
and natural stresses on fish populations--and will only increase as
growing populations and demand for power bump up against increased
efforts to mitigate fish and wildlife.
BACKGROUND:
The Columbia River Basin is North America's fourth largest, draining
about 258,000 square miles and extending predominantly through the
states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana and into Canada. The
basin contains over 250 reservoirs and about 150 hydroelectric
projects, including dams on the Columbia River and its primary
tributary, the Snake River. The Columbia River Basin also provides
habitat for many species of fish and wildlife, including a number of
threatened and endangered species.
The development of the reservoirs and hydroelectric projects in the
basin has posed hazards for some of the species in the basin,
especially anadromous fish, such as salmon and steelhead. Such fish are
born in freshwater streams, where they live for 1 to 2 years before
migrating down river to the ocean to mature. After 2 to 5 years, the
fish migrate back to the freshwater streams to spawn a new generation.
To migrate past a dam, juvenile fish must either go through its
turbines, go over the spillway, use other installed bypass systems, or
be transported around the dams in trucks or barges. Each alternative
has risks and increases the mortality rate of juvenile fish. To return
upstream to spawn, adult fish must find and use fish ladders provided
at each of the dams.
Bonneville is responsible for marketing the power that the 31 federal
dams in the Federal Columbia River Power System produce. Depending upon
the annual amount of water available to the system, Bonneville provides
about 45 percent of the electric power used in the Pacific Northwest
each year. In addition, Bonneville's transmission system accounts for
about 75 percent of the region's high-voltage grid, and includes major
transmission links with other regions. Through its revenues from power
sales, Bonneville provides the majority of fish and wildlife program
money in the region. These programs fund a variety of activities
including tribal fish hatcheries, fish screens at irrigation
diversions, habitat improvement projects, watershed restoration, land
acquisition, and various research studies.
Bonneville sets its power rates high enough to cover its internal
costs, the costs of fish and wildlife programs, and to repay its debt,
including its revolving Treasury debt and any other appropriated funds
used to build and operate the power system.
BONNEVILLE HAS NUMEROUS FISH AND WILDLIFE RESPONSIBILITIES:
In addition to its responsibility for providing transmission services
and marketing the electric power generated by the dams in the Federal
Columbia River Power System, Bonneville is obligated by the Northwest
Power Act of 1980 to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife
populations affected by these hydroelectric projects. In addition to
this mandate, significant declines in historical returns of salmon and
steelhead to the Columbia River Basin have resulted in the listing of
12 populations as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species
Act. With these listings, Bonneville and other federal agencies became
responsible for ensuring that operation of the Federal Columbia River
Power System does not jeopardize the continued existence of these 12
populations. The table below identifies, and provides a brief
explanation of, some of the laws defining Bonneville's
responsibilities.
Table 1: Legislation Defining Bonneville's Responsibilities for Fish
and Wildlife:
Bonneville Project Act; (1937); Creates the Bonneville Power
Administration and authorizes it to market power produced by the
Bonneville Project and to construct transmission lines to transmit
electric energy. Requires Bonneville to set its rates to recover the
cost of producing and transmitting electric energy from the Federal
Columbia River Power System, including the amortization of the capital
investment. These rates must be based on the cost allocations among the
project's purposes that Congress authorized--typically power,
navigation, flood control, and irrigation.
Endangered Species Act; (1973); Directs the National Marine Fisheries
Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to return
endangered and threatened species to the point where they no longer
need special protection measures by protecting threatened or endangered
species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.
Transmission System Act; (1974); Designates Bonneville as the marketing
agent of all electric power generated by federal plants constructed by
the Army Corps of Engineers or the Bureau of Reclamation in the Pacific
Northwest, except for power required for the operation of such projects
and the power from Bureau of Reclamation's Green Springs project.
Authorizes Bonneville to operate and maintain the federal transmission
system within the Pacific Northwest and to construct appropriate
additions and improvements. Establishes the Bonneville Fund within the
United States Treasury, a revolving fund that consists of all of
Bonneville's receipts and proceeds, and from which Bonneville's
administrator may make expenditures determined to be necessary or
appropriate.
Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act; (1980);
Authorizes the formation of the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and
Conservation Planning Council (Council) and directs it to develop a
program to protect, mitigate, and enhance the fish and wildlife of the
Columbia River Basin. Requires Bonneville's administrator to use
Bonneville's funding authorities to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish
and wildlife affected by the development and operation of the Federal
Columbia River Power System and to do so in a manner consistent with
the Council's program while ensuring the Pacific Northwest an adequate,
efficient, economical, and reliable power supply. Limits Bonneville's
share of mitigation costs to those necessary to deal with adverse
effects caused by the development and operation of the dams' electric
power facilities only. Requires federal agencies responsible for
managing, operating, or regulating hydroelectric facilities in the
Columbia River Basin to provide equitable treatment for fish and
wildlife with the other purposes for which these facilities are
operated and managed. These agencies must, at every relevant stage of
their decision-making process, also consider, to the fullest extent
practicable, the Council's fish and wildlife program.
Source: GAO review of legislation.
[End of table]
In addition to the laws summarized above, Bonneville must comply with
other environmental laws and also has a trust responsibility with the
13 federally recognized tribes in the Columbia River Basin. In an April
29, 1994 Memorandum to the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies,
then President Clinton made trust responsibilities and tribal relations
the responsibility of all federal departments. To fulfill this
responsibility, Bonneville developed a formal tribal policy, which
provides a framework for a government-to-government relationship with
the 13 tribes. This framework includes a commitment to fulfill its
obligations under the terms of treaties, as well as other applicable
laws and regulations. Various treaties and court cases guarantee the
rights of the tribes to fish at their usual and accustomed fishing
locations and to take 50 percent of the annual harvestable surplus of
salmon. The table below identifies, and provides an explanation of,
some key environmental laws and treaties.
Table 2: Other Laws, Treaty Obligations, and Court Cases Affecting
Bonneville's Responsibilities for Fish and Wildlife:
Clean Water Act; (1972); Authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to establish water quality standards and to issue permits for the
discharge of pollutants from a point source to navigable waters.
Authorizes EPA to approve total maximum daily loads established by
states and tribes. These standards are determined by the maximum amount
of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water
quality standards for specified uses, including fish and wildlife.
Columbia River Treaty; (1961); Defines the relationship between the
United States and Canada concerning the operation of Columbia River
dams and reservoirs.
National Environmental Policy Act; (1969); Procedural act requiring
federal agencies to examine the impacts of proposed federal actions
that may significantly affect the environment.
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; (1976);
Requires federal agencies, in consultation with the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), to promote the protection of essential fish
habitat. NMFS shall provide conservation recommendations for any
federal or state activity that may adversely affect essential fish
habitat.
Pacific Salmon Treaty; (1985); Treaty signed by the United States and
Canada in 1985 governing the harvest of certain salmon stocks in the
fisheries of the Northwest states (including Alaska) and Canada.
U.S. v. Oregon, U.S. v. Washington; (1969 and 1974); Court decisions
affirming the right of certain Indian tribes to 50 percent of the
harvestable surplus of salmon.
Treaties between individual Indian tribes and the United States;
Establish federal agency responsibilities for trust assets, hatchery
and harvest issues, and tribal water rights.
Source: GAO review of legislation, treaties, and court cases.
[End of table]
BONNEVILLE'S SPENDING AND OTHER EFFORTS TO PROTECT FISH AND WILDLIFE
ARE CONSIDERABLE BUT EFFECTS ARE DIFFICULT TO ISOLATE:
In total, Bonneville estimates it has spent over $1.1 billion (in 2001
dollars) from 1997-2001 on fish and wildlife efforts. Of this total,
Bonneville spent over $460 million on direct programs and funding for
fish and wildlife related activities of other agencies and entities.
The bulk of Bonneville's expenditures for fish and wildlife are spent
on the 12 populations of salmon and steelhead currently listed as
endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.[Footnote 4]
Bonneville's direct spending on projects as well as their funding of
other agencies and entities in support of fish and wildlife programs
for 1997-2001 are shown in table 3 below.
Table 3: Bonneville's Expenditures and Funding Provided to Others (in
thousands of 2001 dollars):
[See PDF for image]
SOURCE: GAO PRESENTATION OF DATA PROVIDED BY Bonneville Power
Administration.
[End of table]
In addition to the expenditures shown above, Bonneville (1) reimburses
the Treasury for the hydroelectric share of Army Corps of Engineers,
Bureau of Reclamation, and the Fish and Wildlife Service operation and
maintenance and other non-capital expenditures for fish and wildlife,
and (2) funds the hydroelectric share of capital investment costs of
the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation fish and wildlife
projects. Such projects include fish bypass facilities at dams and fish
hatcheries. Bonneville estimates that its operation and maintenance
reimbursements between fiscal year 1997 and 2001 were $215.1 million
and its funding of capital investment for the same time period totaled
$453.9 million.
Bonneville also estimates that spilling water and augmenting flows to
assist fish migration has led to over $2.2 billion in forgone revenues
and purchases of replacement power. Bonneville's estimates of these
costs are included in the table below. GAO did not audit these figures.
Table 4: Bonneville's Estimated Power Purchases and Forgone Revenues
(in millions of 2001 dollars):
[See PDF for image]
Source: Bonneville Power Administration:
[End of table]
There are some indications that Bonneville's actions in conjunction
with other agencies' have increased fish survival.
Bonneville worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of
Reclamation to increase fish passage survival at dams, on average, by 5
percent or more at each dam.
Predator control throughout the Federal Columbia River Power System and
the estuary saved approximately 7 to 12 million juvenile salmon and
steelhead per year, an approximate 5 to 10 percent increase in juvenile
fish survival.
In-river survival of juveniles through the Federal Columbia River Power
System is now higher than ever measured.
While these results are promising, the available data are not
sufficient to fully isolate the effects of overall fish and wildlife
programs on fish populations generally, because of a number of
confounding factors, including changing weather and ocean conditions
and the length of time it takes for project benefits to materialize.
For example, if ocean temperatures rise, adult fish may be unable to
find and consume enough food to fortify themselves for spawning and,
therefore, die before they can return. At other times, abnormally high
or low water in the spawning streams, can mean that adults face dried
up or washed out spawning beds. In low water years, flows may also be
insufficient to transport juvenile salmon and steelhead to the ocean in
time to make the transition to salt water, so they die in the streams.
Given such variable conditions, federal efforts to enhance water flows
or improve passage are difficult to assess. Moreover, project benefits
may take several years to materialize. For example, during the declared
power emergency brought on by the drought of 2001, barges and trucks
were used to transport juvenile fish past the dams. However, it will be
2 to 5 years before these juveniles return as adults and uncontrollable
factors like ocean temperatures will also affect how many will
eventually make it back. In the end, it will be difficult to isolate
the success of the transportation program from the impacts of
uncontrollable factors.
The figures below show the fluctuation in adult salmon and steelhead
returns to the Columbia River Basin for the past 25 years as counted at
two dams. Bonneville Dam is the first dam adult fish must pass on their
way up the Columbia River, and Lower Granite Dam is the last dam they
must pass on the Snake River before they can migrate into Idaho.
Figure 1: Returning salmon and steelhead at Bonneville Dam (1977-2001):
[See PDF for image]
SOURCE: GAO ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM THE FISH PASSAGE CENTER.
[End of figure]
Figure 2: Returning adult salmon and steelhead at Lower Granite Dam
(1977-2001):
[See PDF for image]
SOURCE: GAO ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM THE FISH PASSAGE CENTER.
[End of figure]
As figures 1 and 2 indicate, fish populations can vary widely from year
to year. While 2001 was the best year since 1977 for salmon and
steelhead overall, there is no clear long-term trend over the entire
period. Moreover, it is important to point out that while overall
salmon numbers may be improving, the situation for individual species
remains far less favorable. Further, all of the 12 populations of
salmon and steelhead initially listed as either threatened or
endangered remain so despite the efforts and spending described above.
BONNEVILLE IS FACING A FINANCIAL CRISIS:
In recent years, Bonneville's financial position has deteriorated
significantly. For example, Bonneville's cash reserves totaled $811
million at the end of fiscal year 2000 but had fallen to $188 million
by the end of fiscal year 2002. In addition, for the fiscal year 2002-
2006 rate period, Bonneville recently estimated that its costs will be
about $5.3 billion higher than in the previous five-year rate period. A
large part ($3.9 billion) of the estimated higher costs came from
purchases of power to meet demand over and above what the Federal
Columbia River Power System can produce. To meet this additional
demand, Bonneville took a number of steps, including purchasing power
in long-term contracts at prices above current market prices and above
the $22/MWh rates it initially set for the fiscal year 2002-2006 rate
period. In addition, Bonneville estimated that its revenues will be
about $1.4 billion less than were projected in 2001. A large part of
the decreased revenue estimates are the result of lower than projected
market prices. These lower than projected prices caused Bonneville to
revise its expected surplus power revenues downward by over $700
million. Drought conditions in 2001 and low water conditions in 2002
also contributed to Bonneville's reduction in estimated revenues. In
early 2003, Bonneville announced that it estimated a greater than 50
percent chance of missing a payment on its outstanding debt to the
Treasury this fiscal year.
In response to the financial crisis, Bonneville has increased its rates
for power by over 40 percent over fiscal year 2001 levels and is
considering further increases if necessary to increase the likelihood
it will be able to make its Treasury payments. In addition, Bonneville
plans to reduce costs or expenditures and hopes that favorable water
and price conditions will enable it to increase revenues from power
sales. Bonneville is also seeking to (1) refinance some of its debt,
(2) renegotiate some long-term power contracts, and (3) reach agreement
on the reduction and/or deferral of financial benefits to certain
customers. Bonneville is also involved in a regional dialogue with its
power customers, the Power Planning Council, and other stakeholders to
try to avoid similar problems in the future.
RECENT ACTIONS BY BONNEVILLE MAY HAVE REDUCED TOTAL SPENDING ON FISH
AND WILDLIFE:
Bonneville has recently undertaken several actions that are viewed by
members of the fish and wildlife community as reducing the amount of
funding available to support fish and wildlife protection and recovery
efforts. These actions include changes in approach to contract
management and the planning and budgeting system that have resulted in
some work completed in fiscal year 2002 being paid for with fiscal year
2003 funds.
Starting in fiscal year 2003, Bonneville eliminated the automatic
carryover of funding for fish and wildlife programs that had previously
been provided under contract management. Under the previous methods, if
the funds were not spent in the year approved, they were generally
carried over and were available to be spent in the following year. As a
result, Bonneville officials stated that they did not have current and
reliable information on the cost of work performed each year. With the
switch to the new planning and budgeting system, Bonneville has
requested that contractors inform Bonneville by a certain date in the
new fiscal year how much they are owed for work actually performed in
the last fiscal year. Bonneville uses the information to establish an
account that sets aside monies from that fiscal year to pay bills as
they come in during the next year. If contractors do not provide
Bonneville with this information then bills that come in for work done
in the previous fiscal year must be paid for with monies from the next
fiscal year.
Contractors and others told us that this change was made with little
advance notice or training and without a clear understanding on their
part of its ramifications on fiscal year 2003 funding. As a result,
funding for fiscal 2003 planned projects is being reduced by the amount
needed to pay for work completed in fiscal year 2002, which they failed
to notify Bonneville was completed. In addition, they note that if a
project is approved but no work is done on it in a given fiscal year it
now runs the risk of having to go back through the formal funding
approval process, potentially causing delays.
Stakeholders told us of several concerns they have about Bonneville's
funding of fish and wildlife programs:
According to Power Planning Council officials:
Bonneville's budgeting change caused a reduction in fish and wildlife
funding. In a February 2003 letter to the Bonneville Administrator,
Power Planning Council staff stated that over $40 million in fish and
wildlife obligations that had been carried over from the 1997 - 2001
rate period were no longer available. The Power Planning Council says
that its fish and wildlife program has had to absorb the $40 million in
previous obligations in its 2003 budget.
In December 2001, Bonneville told the Power Planning Council that it
estimated an annual average of $150 million for the 2002 - 2006 rate
period to fund the Power Planning Council's fish and wildlife program
and actions required by the biological opinion for the Federal Columbia
River Power System. Bonneville reduced this figure to $139 million.
Furthermore, in March 2003 Bonneville notified the Power Planning
Council that this figure may be reduced further and asked the Power
Planning Council if further reductions would be feasible.
Although Bonneville had agreed to provide $36 million in capital
funding to be used to purchase land or easements to protect fish and
wildlife, Bonneville notified the Power Planning Council that all land
or easement purchases had been placed on hold due to Bonneville's
financial condition. Bonneville further indicated that capitalizing
land or easement purchases may not be appropriate, a contention the
Power Planning Council disputes. While the Power Planning Council has
agreed to Bonneville's decision to place fiscal year 2003 land
purchases on hold, it has also notified Bonneville that this issue must
be resolved before the Power Planning Council can evaluate future
program requirements.
According to representatives of the Columbia River Intertribal Fish
Commission:
Bonneville cancelled funding for the acquisition of approximately 2,500
acres along Squaw Creek in Oregon. Habitat enhancement in the Squaw
Creek area is administered by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation.
The Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority, is slated to lose half
of its funding. The Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority
coordinates the work of the 13 tribes and 7 fish and wildlife agencies
in the Columbia River Basin, administers aspects of the provincial
review process, coordinates project reviews and research, and acts as a
funding vehicle for projects involving multiple agencies. This
organization is important to the tribal community because it assists
tribes in coordinating with each other as well as with outside fish and
wildlife agencies.
According to representatives of the Yakama tribe:
The tribe lost between $6 and $8 million in fish and wildlife funding
due Bonneville's change in the new planning and budgeting system.
A deal the tribe had reached to get conservation easements, remove dams
impassable to fish, and upgrade irrigation systems to reopen several
steelhead spawning streams fell through when the funds allocated for
these projects became unavailable after the budgeting change.
Bonneville described the changes in their budgeting and accounting of
fish and wildlife program funds as follows:
Overall, Bonneville's yearly direct program expenditures have increased
since 1996 from $68.5 million in expense spending to $138 million in
2002. Those direct program expenditures - now totaling $139 million a
year through FY 2006 - have been the principal source of funding
support for tribal fish and wildlife programs and the implementation of
projects that address Bonneville's mitigation obligations and recovery
objectives. In the Fall of 2002, Bonneville changed the planning and
budgeting process that is used with regional entities for these fish
and wildlife expenditures from an obligations to an accrual-based
planning and budgeting process. As required under Generally Accepted
Accounting Principles (GAAP), Bonneville records expenditures on an
accrual basis. In an effort to more closely align the budgeting process
with accrual based accounting, Bonneville moved from an agency
obligation budgeting method to agency budgeting based on accruals in
the mid-1990s. However, due to processes documented in the original
Fish Funding Memorandum of Agreement, the regional planning and budget
process for fish and wildlife funding remained on an obligations basis.
Due to Bonneville's dire financial circumstances, the planning and
budgeting process was changed to more closely correlate with accrual
accounting, and the agency's planning method.
Due to difficult financial circumstances, Bonneville accelerated a
change from an obligations to an accrual based planning and budgeting
process for the fish and wildlife program. This approach to planning
correlates more closely with the agency's planning method and provides
greater accuracy in fiscal year expenditure forecasts. In addition,
Bonneville has initiated changes in contract management to provide
Bonneville managers with accurate and current information to facilitate
administration of Bonneville's fish and wildlife program on an accrual
basis.
In December 2002, as Bonneville's financial concerns deepened, the
Administrator asked the Power Planning Council to take appropriate
steps to assure that spending for the fish and wildlife program did not
exceed the budgeted level of $139 million in expense accruals for
fiscal year 2003.
Bonneville acknowledges that these changes affected the planned
expenditures for fiscal year 2003. However, the 2003 funding level of
$139 million is consistent with the funding commitment made in a
December 2001 letter to the Power Planning Council and is a 40 percent
increase in program support from the previous rate period. In that
letter, Bonneville supported a planning assumption of $150 million in
expense for fish and wildlife; this was expected to result in an actual
expense accrual of $139 million.
While Bonneville has spent well over $100 million on wildlife habitat
since 1989, only one agreement has been capitalized. The Montana Trust
resolved and indemnified Bonneville for all losses resulting from the
construction of Libby and Hungry Horse dams and was funded with a one-
time commitment of $12 million.
Bonneville instituted a temporary hold on land acquisitions until the
Power Planning Council could make recommendations on how to prioritize
2003 expenditures. Upon review of the forecasted expenditures for 2003,
the Power Planning Council recommended the deferral of land
acquisitions for the remainder of fiscal year 2003 to allow
consideration of a change to Bonneville's capitalization policy for
fiscal year 2004. This allowed other projects to move forward within
the $139 million budget. Bonneville is currently working with the Power
Planning Council and constituents to develop a method for capitalizing
land acquisitions that is consistent with GAAP accounting standards and
Bonneville's limited borrowing authority.
BONNEVILLE'S CHALLENGES STEM FROM ITS DUAL AND CONFLICTING ROLES AND
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Bonneville's dual roles--as supplier of economical and reliable power
and as protector of fish and wildlife--are inherently in conflict.
Bonneville's stakeholders include both consumers of electricity and
proponents of fish and wildlife protection, and both groups apply
pressure on Bonneville to deliver more of what they want. However,
providing more support for fish and wildlife comes at the cost of less
electricity and higher rates. Similarly, providing more electricity can
put greater pressure on fish and wildlife, either through more
intensive use of generating facilities at the expense of spilling
water, or through reduced revenues available for funding fish and
wildlife programs as has occurred during the current crisis.
Further, Bonneville operates in a changing environment with regard to
demand for its electricity and with regard to the treatment of fish and
wildlife required by law and treaty agreements. For example, demand for
electricity has generally grown throughout Bonneville's existence and
it has responded up until now by increasing its generating capacity or
buying electricity from other sources to meet the needs of its
electricity customers. As Bonneville has continued to provide
electricity beyond the capacity of federal hydroelectric facilities, it
has encountered higher costs. In addition, over the past two decades,
Bonneville's spending and actions in support of fish and wildlife have
grown considerably with the enactment of various environmental laws and
with increased regulations put in place to protect the environment.
Most recently, a ruling in federal court has determined as inadequate
the biological opinion developed by the National Marine Fisheries
Service (now NOAA Fisheries) to direct the protection of endangered
fish species in the Columbia River Basin. The judge has remanded the
biological opinion to NOAA Fisheries and suggested that greater
certainty will be required for specific mitigation measures before NOAA
Fisheries can rely upon them for protecting listed endangered species.
The consequences of this ruling on river and dam operations is
uncertain as is any subsequent impact on the amount and timing of power
Bonneville has to sell and on fish and wildlife.
-----:
In closing Mr. Chairman, while the future is uncertain, one thing is
very clear--Bonneville and its numerous stakeholders are faced with
some potentially painful decisions in the coming years. The outcomes of
these decisions will affect the health and viability of fish and
wildlife populations and the way of life of Northwest residents who
benefit from electric power. Given the competing priorities that
involve making trade-offs, we continue to support public oversight of
the decisions being made and will continue to pursue our ongoing work
relating to your request that we study Bonneville's obligations to
support fish and wildlife programs.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes our prepared statement. We would be happy
to answer any questions that you or Members of the Committee may have.
For further information, please contact Jim Wells at (202) 512-3841.
Individuals making key contributions to this testimony include, Jill
Berman, Jonathan Dent, Samantha Gross, Cynthia Norris, Frank Rusco, and
Barbara Timmerman.
(360353):
FOOTNOTES
[1] U.S. General Accounting Office, Columbia Basin Salmon And
Steelhead: Federal Agencies' Recovery Responsibilities, Expenditures
and Actions, GAO-02-612 (Washington, D.C.: July 2002).
[2] The Power Planning Council was authorized by the Pacific Northwest
Electric Power Planning and Conservation Power Act of 1980 (Northwest
Power Act). It consists of representatives of the states of Idaho,
Montana, Oregon, and Washington and is funded by Bonneville. The
Northwest Power Act directs the Power Planning Council to develop 1) a
plan to guarantee adequate and reliable energy for the Pacific
Northwest and 2) a program to protect and rebuild populations affected
by hydropower development in the Columbia River Basin.
[3] The Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission is the coordinating
agency for fishery management policies of the four Columbia River
treaty tribes, (the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation
of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Indian
Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and
the Nez Perce Tribe).
[4] GAO recently completed a review of these expenditures for 11
federal agencies--U.S. General Accounting Office, Columbia Basin Salmon
And Steelhead: Federal Agencies' Recovery Responsibilities,
Expenditures and Actions, GAO-02-612 (Washington, D.C.: July 2002).
This report dealt only with salmon and steelhead programs, but
Bonneville staff told us that this represents the bulk of Bonneville's
support for fish and wildlife programs. Therefore, the data provided in
this testimony are indicative, but not a complete accounting, of
Bonneville's recent financial commitments to fish and wildlife
protection, mitigation, and enhancement.
