Power Council Draft Fish and Wildlife Amendments Fall Short for Salmon Recovery
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC, or “the Council”) is updating its five-year Fish and Wildlife Program, a regional plan designed to mitigate harm to endangered native fish caused by hydropower operations on the Columbia and Snake rivers.
With the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement abandoned by the current federal administration and ongoing efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act, the NPCC’s 2026 Fish and Wildlife Program represents the most viable path to prevent further damage from hydropower operations and to make meaningful, actionable progress toward fish recovery goals in the Columbia and Snake rivers. Thankfully, despite pressure from Bonneville Power Administration, the Council did maintain its longstanding goal of 5 million adult fish returning to the Basin every year.
However, the draft plan falls short when it comes to:
Requiring strong, enforceable measures:
The 2026 Fish and Wildlife Program must include accountable actions sufficient to meet the Council’s legal obligations and actually achieve the interim goal of five million adult salmon and steelhead returning annually to the Columbia Basin.Prioritizing increased spill through August 31:
Elevated spill is essential to protecting late-migrating wild juvenile salmon and steelhead, supporting genetic diversity and population recovery, and reflects recommendations from State and Tribal fish managers under the Northwest Power Act.Holding BPA accountable:
Bonneville Power Administration must uphold Tribal Treaty Rights and fully implement Program measures to protect and enhance fisheries impacted by the hydropower system.Recognizing Lower Snake River dam removal:
The Program should acknowledge dam removal as necessary to achieve recovery goals, and the Ninth Power Plan should analyze a breach scenario as part of responsible long-term energy planning.
Please join us in urging NPCC to chart a course toward affordable, efficient, and reliable energy that also protects and restores abundant fish populations. Submit a public comment online or attend a hearing in person or virtually to provide a short 3 - 4 minute testimony.
Lower Granite Dam on the lower Snake River. EcoFlight photo.
Submit a Written Public Comment Online
The Power Council is accepting public comments on its draft 2026 Fish and Wildlife Program until March 2, 2026. To submit a comment via the Council’s portal, head to https://projects.nwcouncil.org/program/comment_form
Here’s a sample comment:
Dear Northwest Power and Conservation Council Members,
My name is _____, I live in _____, and I am a ratepayer of _____. As a ratepayer, I care about having an affordable, reliable, clean energy system that also supports abundant salmon populations. I urge BPA and regional utilities to prioritize new clean energy development and reduce reliance on hydropower to mitigate its ongoing harm to salmon, steelhead and all native fish populations.
I am deeply concerned about the crisis facing salmon and steelhead across the Columbia Basin, and I urge you to adopt a final 2026 Fish and Wildlife Program that includes robust, actionable, and accountable measures sufficient to meet the Council’s legal obligations over the next 5–10 years and make meaningful progress toward recovery.
To achieve the Council’s goal of five million returning adult fish, I urge you to adopt the recommendations of State and Tribal fish managers—who are owed deference under the Northwest Power Act—including these priorities:
Increase spill through August 31: Late-migrating wild juvenile salmon and steelhead contribute disproportionately to adult returns. Increased spill is essential to protecting genetic diversity and supporting population recovery.
Ensure strong accountability: Establish clear, enforceable accountability measures, particularly for BPA, to achieve Program goals through a coordinated, whole-of-government approach and fully address hydropower measures in the Ninth Power Plan.
Acknowledge Lower Snake River dam removal: The final Program should recognize dam removal as a necessary recovery measure and include analysis of a breach scenario in the Ninth Power Plan, consistent with established science.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
NAME
Testify at Upcoming Hearing
Interested in sharing why this is important to you, directly with the Council? Attend a hearing in person or virtually to share a brief testimony.
Public Hearing Dates and Locations
Tuesday, January 13 (Portland)
Tuesday, February 3 (Spokane)
Wednesday, February 4 (Yakima)
Tuesday, February 17 (Seattle)
Tuesday, February 24 (webinar)
How to Comment at the Hearing
If attending in person: Use the sign-up sheet that will be provided at the meeting.
To register by webinar (whether commenting or not): go to the NPCC website HERE to access the Zoom link (will be updated with zoom registration a few days prior to hearing). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. If you plan to comment, please send your full name to: meetingorganizer@nwcouncil.org. Contact CouncilIT@nwcouncil.org with any technical questions