PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Bonneville Power Administration and Gov. Ted Kulongoski are signing a deal Friday to require the federal power marketer to protect 20,000 acres of wildlife habitat in Oregon’s Willamette River basin through 2025.
The Oregonian reports that the $150 million settlement between the BPA and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife ends three decades haggling over the government’s obligation to compensate for habitat lost after building 13 dams in the basin to generate power and control flooding.
Backers of the agreement say it’s the biggest habitat restoration program in the basin’s history. But critics say it only restores a fraction of the 12,000-square-mile basin and that it will cost electric rate payers too much.
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
