ZoZo - Here's an answer to your question regarding the Yakama Tribe and power generation. Priest Rapids Dam on the mid-Columbia River is up for relicensing in a couple years. The tribe has petitioned to be a competing applicant. That is, they are considering filing a competing application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take over the project. When a hydropower license expires, anyone can file a competing application, including you or I. If FERC awards the license to someone other than the current owner, the new licensee gets to operate for the next 30 to 50 years. It's sorta like a government sactioned hostile takeover.

The Tribes have no special treatment or consideration because of their tribal status or treaty reserved rights. They're no different than anyone else. If you want to file a competing application, you'll have the same rights and opportunities as the Yakama's (for a change...). However, it'll probably cost you several millon dollars to put together an application.

But having the tribes as a competing applicant for the Priest Rapids Dam is a good thing. It won't be hard to show that they can operate the project in a more environmentally friendly manner. In my view, the current licensee (Grant County PUD) has been horrible. They have operated the project to maximize power generation at the expense of almost everything else, primarily the salmon. By indicating their interest in taking over the project, Grant County PUD, is taking notice and is trying to improve their environmental record.

I certainly hope the Yakama's are successful in taking over the project. If they do, I'm sure salmon survival at Priest Rapids Dam will be a much higher priority than it is now.