Bpa Clears Way For Deal With Tribe

The Bonneville Power Administration has cleared the way for a $17 million deal that will compensate Idaho and the Nez Perce Tribe for losses caused by Dworshak Dam.

The agencies appeared to clear the last big hurdle in the deal with BPA administrator Randy Hardy’s finding of no significant impact.

Hardy’s decision eliminates the need to complete an environmental impact statement to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. That process could have taken two years or more to complete.

The deal calls for the transfer of 60,000 acres on Craig Mountain south of Lewiston to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to compensate mostly for elk losses. A $3.1 million trust fund also would be transferred to the state to pay for management of the property.

The Nez Perce Tribe would receive a $7.1 million trust fund to pay for land purchases along the Clearwater River to compensate mostly for white-tailed deer losses when Dworshak Dam turned the habitat behind it into Dworshak Reservoir.

The public has 15 days to comment.

Rep. Helen Chenoweth, R-Idaho, who formally objected to the deal in a May 1 letter, said Friday that a BPA letter assured her Wednesday that the finding did not signify final approval for the deal.

In a meeting planned Monday with BPA officials, Chenoweth intends to discuss private property rights, recreational access and the impacts of the land purchases.

State and tribal officials hope transfer of the trust funds and title to the property on Craig Mountain, the former Pene Land Co. or Howard Ranch holdings, can be completed in June.

Chenoweth objected to the deal based on its effects on private property rights and local economic impacts. The issue needs a more horough airing and BPA should consult with the Clearwater County Commission, ratepayers and others, she said.

The freshman lawmaker also said the federal agency should study the issue more.

“An EIS is needed and required under NEPA as this project clearly impacts man’s environment and is a major federal action,” Chenoweth said.

Clearwater County Commission Chairman V. James Wilson wrote Chenoweth on May 8 to support her views. He said the mitigation should be in Clearwater County, where the dam is located, rather than Nez Perce County, which contains the Craig Mountain property.

Wilson also called for economic incentives for Clearwater County landowners to allow for wintering elk habitat.