Sept. 15, 2009:  Backed by sound science, strong stakeholder support and extensive outreach, the federal government filed with a United States district court a strengthened plan to implement NOAA's 2008 biological opinion governing operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System. The plan bolsters protection for salmon and steelhead on the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest by adding contingency measures that provide extra insurance that the fish will survive with an adequate potential for recovery.

Sept. 3, 2008: Bureau of Reclamation Pacific Northwest Region Decision Document Concerning the NOAA Fisheries’ May 5, 2008, Biological Opinion (PDF 384KB -- links to Bureau of Reclamation Website)

Aug. 1, 2008:  Army Corps of Engineers' Record of Consultation and Statement of Decision: NOAA Fisheries' May 5, 2008, Biological Opinion (PDF 2.6MB -- links to Corps of Engineers' Website)

May 5, 2008:  NOAA Fisheries Service released final Endangered Species Act documents on Remand of 2004 Biological Opinion on the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) including 19 Bureau of Reclamation Projects in the Columbia Basin (Revised pursuant to court order, NWF v. NMFS, Civ. No. CV 01-640-RE (D. Oregon) (FCRPS BiOp); Operations and Maintenance of the USBR Upper Snake River Basin Projects above Brownlee Reservoir (Upper Snake BiOp); Impacts of US v OR Fisheries in the Columbia River in years 2008-2017 on ESA listed Species and Magnuson-Stevens Act Essential Fish Habitat (Harvest BiOp); and a final Supplemental Comprehensive Analysis of the Federal Columbia River Power System and Mainstem Effects of the Upper Snake and other Tributary Actions (SCA).

• News release (PDF 32KB)
• Overview of NOAA Fisheries Columbia Basin Consultations (PDF 16KB)
• All-H Problems: All-H Solutions (PDF 272KB)
• Executive Summary of FCRPS Biological Opinion (PDF 1.1MB)
• Issue Summaries of FCRPS 2008 Biological Opinion (PDF 575KB)
• Federal Caucus (salmonrecovery.gov)

How the documents are inter-related:  These multiple biological opinions are tiered off of a common analysis, the Supplemental Comprehensive Analysis. The SCA is a reference that incorporates all relevant data and analysis of all the actions so that ESA jeopardy and critical habitat standards are applied comprehensively. The individual biological opinions are the decision documents. Each BiOp explicitly incorporates information from the SCA needed to support its respective determinations.

• Full Supplemental Comprehensive Analysis (REALLY large file -- PDF 15.2MB)
  - SCA Chapters 1-7 (PDF 1.6MB)
  - SCA Chapter 8 (PDF 6.4MB)
  - SCA Chapters 9-12 (PDF 1.2MB)
  - SCA Appendices (PDF 6.3MB)
• Biological Opinion on FCRPS (links to Public Consultation Tracking System)
• Biological Opinion on Upper Snake (links to Public Consultation Tracking System)
• Biological Opinion on Harvest (links to Public Consultation Tracking System)
• Response to Comments on Draft FCRPS BiOp (PDF 740KB)

If you have trouble downloading these files and would like a CD with these documents, please contact Joanna Donner, 503-230-5400.