Hydroelectric Dams

The Department of the Interior's position is that in order to restore fisheries in the Elwha River, two dams will have to be removed. As of May 1992, Interior has not worked out with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission whether the dams should be removed and who should pay for the cost of removing them. Proposed legislation before Congress would involve federal acquisition of the two dams and subsequent comprehensive analysis of the most effective and reliable alternative for fully restoring, enhancing, and protecting the ecosystem, fisheries, and wildlife of the Elwha River basin. GAO believes that a better understanding of the estimated costs and potential liabilities would provide for more informed public policy decisions on whether and how best to restore the ecosystem and fisheries of the Elwha River and who should be responsible for paying the costs of restoration. GAO summarized this report in testimony before Congress; see: Hydroelectric Dams: Proposed Legislation to Restore Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries, by Keith O. Fultz, Director of Planning and Reporting in the Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, before subcommittees of the House Committee on Merchant Marines and Fisheries. GAO/T-RCED-92-80, July 9, 1992 (10 pages).

GAO found that: (1) Interior believes that the dams should be removed in order to restore anadromous fish populations in the Elwha River basin, restore the Elwha River basin's damaged ecosystem, and fulfill U.S. treaty obligations with resident Indian tribes concerning tribal access to usual and customary fishing places; (2) Interior has not resolved with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Office of Management and Budget whether the dams would be removed or who would be responsible for paying the costs to remove them; and (3) proposed legislation which would require federal acquisition of the dams to further the federal government's salmon restoration efforts may resolve much of the controversy surrounding the dams.