The National Marine Fisheries Service is worried about the Chinook salmon. Which means residents of Idaho are about to get screwed.
Federal officials say the Idaho Power Company needs to release more water out of its Brownlee Reservoir before the end of July to help the salmon migrate downstream. Recent drought conditions have hindered the migration of young salmon to the Pacific Ocean.
How much water does the fisheries service want to force Idaho Power to release? 360,000 acre-feet. That's enough to submerge 360,000 acres of land under 1 foot of water. For those of you who live in north Georgia, it's about one-fifth of all the water in Lake Lanier. It's enough water to flush a toilet 29.3 billion times!
Idaho Power used to be reimbursed for flushing water for salmon. This time, though, the fisheries service wants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order the flush without compensating Idaho Power.
It's not just the free flush Idaho Power is worried about. Electricity rates for Idaho Power's 384,000 customers could rise, too, since there would be less water available for generating power.
All of this, apparently, matters little to the Imperial Federal Government. State political leaders are furious that the feds want to
impose their will on state waters.
But, hey. This is the federal government we're talking about. Everything in this country belongs to the government, except for some money they let us keep every now and then.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/daily/20010608/FrontPage/127082.shtml
Federal officials say the Idaho Power Company needs to release more water out of its Brownlee Reservoir before the end of July to help the salmon migrate downstream. Recent drought conditions have hindered the migration of young salmon to the Pacific Ocean.
How much water does the fisheries service want to force Idaho Power to release? 360,000 acre-feet. That's enough to submerge 360,000 acres of land under 1 foot of water. For those of you who live in north Georgia, it's about one-fifth of all the water in Lake Lanier. It's enough water to flush a toilet 29.3 billion times!
Idaho Power used to be reimbursed for flushing water for salmon. This time, though, the fisheries service wants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order the flush without compensating Idaho Power.
It's not just the free flush Idaho Power is worried about. Electricity rates for Idaho Power's 384,000 customers could rise, too, since there would be less water available for generating power.
All of this, apparently, matters little to the Imperial Federal Government. State political leaders are furious that the feds want to
impose their will on state waters.
But, hey. This is the federal government we're talking about. Everything in this country belongs to the government, except for some money they let us keep every now and then.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/daily/20010608/FrontPage/127082.shtml
