Under authority of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act and the Federal Power Act, we provide technical assistance, environmental review, as well as terms, conditions, and prescriptions to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding non-federal hydropower projects. We also coordinate our hydropower activities with our efforts in Endangered Species Act consultation, review of Clean Water Act 404 permits, and other Fish and Wildlife Service actions. This ensures that our work is internally consistent and achieves the highest level of resource protection and mitigation.

Our work includes:

• Assisting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the review and licensing/relicensing of non-federal hydropower projects.

• Participating in long-term, multi-party negotiations which seek to balance many objectives; including fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, power generation, and recreation.

• Providing technical expertise regarding biological and legal issues.

• Coordinating with other federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Bureau of Land Management, state agencies such as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and non-governmental organizations.
         

The hydropower licensing process gives us an important opportunity to pursue restoration of wetlands, rivers, and watersheds through our intensive and long-term collaboration with project licensees, federal and state agencies and non-government organizations. We seek to restore essential river flows where projects have diverted water for generation, to protect fish and wildlife habitat and listed species, provide fish passage, and restore degraded habitats. These efforts require coordination between several of our programs, and allow us to achieve multiple resource management goals. Fully realizing these mitigation and enhancement opportunities requires that the Fish and Wildlife Service be committed to participating in up to seven years of licensing activity, and then continuing our interactions for the 30- to 50-years of the new license. 

Marmot Dam on the Sandy River - Scheduled to be
decommissioned and removed in 2007 and 2008.




  For additional information visit: Regional Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)