Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is holding a series of hearings this week on how to spend $230 million next year on fish recovery.

The hearings come amid growing pressure on the agency to show results.

Northwest ratepayers will see their power bills go up in the next several years to pay for more fish and wildlife programs.

Council Chair Bill Booth says BPA acknowledges critics who say the region already spends too much money on fish recovery, with little return. But he says the investments will pay off in the long run.

Bill Booth: “You take a stream and you restore the habitat. You put in woody debris. You put willows on the side. It takes years to get it done and it’s hard to measure precisely how many fish that helps. But we’re getting better at that. We work hard to make sure the money’s well spent.”

BPA's fish recovery budget is growing in part because the agency has entered into 10-year agreements with the states of Idaho and Montana and several Indian tribes that expand fish and wildlife programs.

They had sued BPA, claiming the agency’s programs were inadequate.