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Columbia River Channel Deepening Project gains 'no jeopardy' status from NMFS and USFWS
05/22/02
The Daily Shipping News
PORTLAND — The executive directors of lower Columbia River port sponsors have jointly announced the Columbia River Channel Deepening Project has met the regulatory requirements of the Endangered Species Act. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued their Biological Opinion of “no jeopardy” on the project on May 20. During a six-month public process conducted last year by the Corps, NMFS, USFW and the sponsor ports, an independent scientific panel of nationally known ecosystem experts appointed by Sustainable Ecosystems Institute convened to review the environmental and technical issues associated with the project. The group established the best available science by which the channel deepening project should be measured and that it would have no measurable effect on endangered fish. The Army Corps of Engineers will supplement the Environmental Impact Statement for the project later this year. They will evaluate any changes including added restoration components, and update the cost/benefit analysis. Also occurring this summer, the states of Oregon and Washington will review water quality certifications, coastal zone consistency and other environmental regulations. If the project meets these regulatory requirements, plans call for restoration to be done up front
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