PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville), in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), proposes to implement a programmatic environmental review for tributary fish and wildlife habitat restoration actions throughout the Columbia River Basin in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and northern Nevada. These actions range from those such as fencing and planting; to bridge construction, instream habitat improvements, and stream channel reconstruction. These actions could be funded by Bonneville to mitigate for effects of the development and operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) on fish and wildlife.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
To understand the potential environmental impacts of this proposal, Bonneville, in cooperation with Reclamation, prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA) following the procedures of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EA programmatically analyzed the impacts of implementing tributary fish and wildlife restoration projects across the Columbia River Basin, facilitating reviews of numerous projects. A no-action alternative was also analyzed in which this programmatic analysis would not be used to facilitate individual project reviews. The EA describes anticipated impacts to natural and human resources and identifies mitigation measures to help avoid or minimize impacts. The draft EA was released for public review and comment in September 2020; 93 comments were received on the draft EA from eight entities. Bonneville, in cooperation with Reclamation, prepared a final EA that provides responses to comments received and includes minor revisions to that analysis. Based on the EA analysis and mitigation measures to help lessen impacts, Bonneville found that the proposed action would not cause any significant impacts, and issued a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) on December 22, 2020.
The schedule for the environmental review is as follows:
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| Scoping comment period |
November 1, 2019 – November 30, 2019 |
| Draft EA comment period |
September 3, 2020 - October 16, 2020 |
| Final EA |
December 22, 2020 |
Finding of No Significant Impact (if warranted) |
December 22, 2020 |
| If decision to proceed, actions would start |
Winter 2021
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CURRENT STATUS:
Bonneville and Reclamation released its final EA and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The FONSI includes a Mitigation Action Plan to help avoid or lessen potential impacts.
CONTACT:
For detailed project information, contact:
Rob Shull
Environmental Protection Specialist
CorSource Technology Group
Bonneville Power Administration - ECF-4
PO Box 3621
Portland, OR 97208 -3621 |
Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Direct line: 503-230-3962
Email: rwshull@bpa.gov
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For program management information, contact:
Chad Hamel
Supervisory Environmental Protection Specialist
Bonneville Power Administration - ECF-4
PO Box 3621
Portland, OR 97208 -3621 |
Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Direct line: 503-230-5564
Email: cjhamel@bpa.gov
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