The Bonneville Power Administration expects to increase its "integrated" Columbia River basin fish and wildlife program spending by 55 percent during the fiscal years 2009-2011 period, agency officials told the Northwest Power and Conservation Council Wednesday.

Fish and wildlife expenses will rise from the $143 million level experienced over the past three years to $200 million in 2009, a decision finalized in July by the agency. The increase is driven by project funding needs arising from a new NOAA Fisheries Service biological opinion for the Federal Columbia River Power System and from new "salmon accords" signed with basin states and tribes.

Both new and ongoing projects called for in the 2008 BiOp and/or in the accords represent 10-year BPA funding agreements. The accords and BiOp were finalized in May.

BPA expects integrated program costs to jump to $230 million in 2010 and to $235 million in 2011. Those decisions will be finalized later this month.

The "start-of-year" planning budget for 2009 is estimated at $213 million, a figure that takes into account the fact that BPA normally ends up spending 7 percent less than budgeted because of delayed project implementation and other factors.

About $46 million in spending in the program's 2009 budget are projects without a commitment beyond that year, though BPA notes some of the work is certain to draw funding to maintain past investments.

The budget calculations include annual 2.5 percent cost of inflation increases beginning in 2010.

The budget analysis, produced at the NPCC's request, is "intended to stimulate conversation about a longer funding commitment" across the board, said Greg Delwiche, BPA vice president for Environment, Fish and Wildlife.

Washington Council member Tom Karier agreed on the need to gain more long-term certainty for fish and wildlife restoration efforts and for ratepayers. BPA covers its fish and wildlife costs through revenues from wholesale power customers. The federal agency markets electricity generated in the federal Columbia/Snake river hydro system.

"The region needs to work on a comprehensive, long-term budget agreement with Bonneville," Karier said. "Things don't end at the end of 2011."

The integrated program manages projects intended to meet BPA's mitigation obligations under the Northwest Power Act, consistent with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council fish and wildlife program goals and strategies, as well as BPA's Endangered Species Act off-site fish and wildlife requirements under biological opinions from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA.

The NPA, passed by Congress in 1980, required the creation of the NPCC, which has two members each representing the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The law directed the NPCC to create a fish and wildlife strategy to protect and enhance fish and wildlife affected by the construction and operation of the hydro system. It directed BPA to fund the Council program.

The power act also bid the Council to amend its "program" at least every five years. That process is now in progress with draft amendments out for public review. The draft incorporates the provisions of the ESA BiOp and the accords.

The Bonneville analysis estimates that $46 million to $50 million will be spent annually in 2009-2011 on ongoing non-BiOp/non-accord projects.

Delwiche said the funding increases were needed to achieve a key goal of implementing both the new FCRPS BiOp and the Columbia Basin Fish Accords without reducing funding for the other non-BiOp and/or non-accord elements of the program.

"While the magnitude of these funding increases is unprecedented in nature, BPA believes these increases are critical for successful implementation of an all-H (hydro, habitat, hatchery and harvest) set of strategies for ESA compliance and recovering ESA-listed salmon and steelhead," according to BPA's analysis.

"The 55 percent increase is the largest in the history of the program but we feel it is necessary to meet our commitments," Delwiche said.

A breakdown of the 2009 start-of-year budget shows 64 percent is for continuation of existing projects -- 22 percent or $46 million for non-BiOp/non-accord work; 28 percent or $61 million for BiOp-only projects; 10 percent or $21 million for projects that meet both BiOp and accord needs and $9 million or 4 percent for accord-only projects.

The 2009 budget earmarks $22 million or 10 percent of the total budget for new accord-only projects, $31 million or 15 percent for new BiOp-only projects and $23 million or 11 percent for new projects required by both the accords and the BiOp.

To say a project is BiOp-only does not necessarily mean it will provide benefits only for listed fish.

"These projects serve a dual purpose" in many cases, said Bill Maslen, BPA's fish and wildlife director. A tributary riparian restoration project, as an example, can provide biological benefits for both listed and non-listed species that reside there.

The existing projects have for the most part been processed through the Council's selection process with their technical merit assessed by the Independent Scientific Review Panel.

"It is important that the Council continue to play an important role in recommending funding of mitigation actions that are scientifically sound and are the most cost-effective means to meet Program objectives, including new BiOp actions outside those in the Accords," according to Bonneville.

Some of the BiOp projects may require an expedited selection and science review process so they can be implemented in 2009.

Such intricacies will be worked out in the coming months.

"…there are many new budget management complexities as well as policies that will need to be developed, and important unanswered questions that still need to be addressed given the new Biological Opinion and Fish Accords and the related significant Program increase in FY 2009," BPA concludes.

"During autumn 2008, BPA will develop an overall Fish and Wildlife Program budget management plan in coordination with the region, with opportunity for input and comment, to address these questions, issues and policies."

The projected budget includes an increase in funding for research, monitoring and evaluation from about $50 million this year to $90 million in 2009. Those costs, over time, need to be reined in to some degree, Delwiche said. Much of the increase stems from the BiOp.

He said paring RM&E would allow more money to be spent on on-the-ground projects that directly benefit fish and wildlife.

"BPA also anticipates that the Council will continue playing a lead role in reforming the region's RM&E framework," according to the BPA budget analysis. "In '09, BPA's analysis indicates that about $56M in RM&E, data management and coordination is expected to be funded in the mainstem/systemwide category, and an additional $33M in anticipated RM&E/data/coordination spending in the provinces."