Meeting Purpose per Joseph Bogaard:

Attendees: Joseph Bogaard (Save Our Wild Salmon) , Bill Arthur (Sierra Club), Tom O’Keefe
(American Whitewater) , Nancy Hirsh (NW Energy Coalition), Jonathan Stumpf (American
Rivers), and Steve Mashuda Earth Justice)
(David Mosely, Eileen Quigley, Jessica Finn Coven and I attended on behalf of the City and the hiring
process.)

"We’d like to dive into two important conservation/salmon issues facing SCL today: the Skagit
River Basin and the upcoming FERC re-licensing, and the Columbia River Basin – focusing in on
the biological opinion and Columbia River Treaty. We serve up a few specific topics below. We
can check in and adjust as needed at the start of our meeting.
(1) RE: The Skagit River:
Background: In 1991, Seattle City Light signed a comprehensive settlement agreement for the
Skagit Hydroelectric Project—widely recognized as a national model that has influenced 100’s
of other projects across the country. That agreement and the subsequent license guides
operations to provide in-stream flow conditions favorable to salmon and steelhead
reproduction and rearing downstream of the dams. The current license expires in 2025 and
Seattle City Light is in the process of convening stakeholders as the regulatory proceeding for a
new license gets underway.
Key Conservation Community Priorities for SCL:
1) Work collaboratively with tribes, state and federal fish agencies, and non-governmental
organizations to continue Seattle City Light’s commitment to project operations and restoration
that benefit Skagit River salmon in the process of negotiating a new license.
2) Support staff and community efforts to maintain Seattle City Light as a national leader in
sustainable hydro-power operations that balance power and non-power values. Lead by
example.
3) Continue commitment to lead on environmental stewardship (e.g. recent advocacy in
support of watershed protection in British Columbia where logging and mining threats have the
potential to compromise investments in ecosystem protection and recovery made by Seattle
City Light)
4) Prioritize education in the Skagit River Basin including continued support of North Cascades
Institute, public project tours and access to project lands and waters, and interpretation and
outreach to travelers passing through the North Cascades National Park Complex.
(2) RE: The Columbia Snake River Basin:
Background: Our region has struggled for decades with salmon protection/recovery activities in
the Columbia Basin. After five illegal plans and billions of dollars spent, many in the region are
opening to/calling for new, more promising approaches, including removal of the lower Snake
River dams.

 Key Conservation Community Priorities for Seattle City Light:
1) Active engagement/leadership to build relationships, dialogue between stakeholders,
sovereigns, policymakers to help encourage/develop a lawful plan that protects/recovers
Columbia Basin salmon populations.
2) SCL commitment to active collaboration and a readiness to explore all options - to protect
salmon, orcas and the environment, including, if appropriate, removal of four federal dams on
the lower Snake River as part of a broader river restoration strategy – and of course one that is
also compatible with a clean, affordable, forward-oriented regional power system facing rapidly
changing markets and technologies.
3) Support for SCL staff to help protect Puget Sound 0rcas and restore the once abundant
Chinook salmon on which they depend in the Skagit where SCL already has a deep stake and in
the Columbia Basin.
Finally, we would appreciate the opportunity to schedule bi-monthly meetings with you for
Year 1, with you and interested environmental and energy conservation groups/leaders, for the
purpose of building a strong working relationship, establishing regular communication, and
beginning to tackle the types of issues above."