SENATE BILL REPORT

                           SJM 8012

        AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON ENERGY & UTILITIES,

                       FEBRUARY 26, 1993

Brief Description:  Petitioning Congress, BPA, and FERC to supply electricity at no cost to anadromous fish hatcheries.

SPONSORS: Senators Hargrove, Owen and Oke

SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY & UTILITIES

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Joint Memorial No. 8012 be substituted therefor, and the substitute joint memorial do pass. 

     Signed by Senators Sutherland, Chairman; Jesernig, Vice Chairman; Amondson, Hochstatter, McCaslin, Owen, Roach, A. Smith, Vognild, West, and Williams.

Staff:  Erika Lim (786‑7488)

Hearing Dates: February 26, 1993

BACKGROUND:

Hydroelectric dams damage anadromous fish runs by physically blocking fish from swimming both upstream and downstream and also by catching fish in turbines.  To help mitigate this damage, fish hatcheries have been built.  These hatcheries are run by the U.S. Department of Fish and Game, the Washington Department of Fisheries, the Washington Department of Wildlife, and several different Indian tribes.

Hatcheries need large amounts of water running through them.  Some have gravity-fed ponds, but most use electric pumps to supply water.  All hatcheries also need electricity for everyday operation and maintenance.  The electric bills for hatcheries can be high, sometimes running thousands of dollars a month.

If electricity were provided at no cost to anadromous fish hatcheries, the money saved could be used to further restore fish runs damaged by the hydroelectric facility.

SUMMARY:

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is asked to condition renewal of hydroelectric licenses upon the facilities' providing no-cost electricity to anadromous fish hatcheries that they supply.

The Bonneville Power Administration is asked to provide no- cost electricity to the anadromous fish hatcheries that it supplies.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

No-cost electricity is requested for mitigation fish hatcheries, not just anadromous fish hatcheries.  There are some hatcheries which rear resident fish to mitigate for anadromous fish where the habitat for anadromous fish has been too severely damaged to allow successful repopulation.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  none requested

TESTIMONY FOR:

A significant amount of money would be saved.  The Department of Wildlife spends about $600,000 annually for electricity for all its hatcheries, including nonmitigation hatcheries.  The Department of Fisheries spent $636,000 for electricity for its 47 hatcheries in 1992.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Bruce Crawford, Department of Wildlife; Cyreis Schmitt, Department of Fisheries