Idaho Power Updates Hells Canyon Dam Review Timeline
Published Date: 4/30/2025
Notice
Summary
Idaho Power’s plan to keep running the Hells Canyon Project just got a new timeline for reviewing its environmental impact, especially for fish protection. This change affects Idaho Power, local wildlife agencies, and the public waiting on updates. The new schedule means more time to make sure fish and water quality are protected, but it could also delay final decisions and costs tied to the project.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Supplemental EIS schedule set to May 29, 2026
If you follow the Hells Canyon Project, the FERC staff updated the review schedule: the draft supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be issued in September 2025, comments are due in November 2025, and the final supplemental EIS will be issued on May 29, 2026. The schedule change is to allow more time to analyze the October 23, 2024 settlement and any revised biological assessments.
Settlement includes fish passage measures
The settlement executed April 22, 2019 includes spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead fish passage measures that the supplemental EIS will assess. Oregon and Idaho Departments of Environmental Quality each issued Clean Water Act section 401 water quality certifications for the project on May 24, 2019.
Forest Service settlement to affect new license terms
On October 23, 2024, Idaho Power filed a settlement with the U.S. Forest Service that resolves the terms and conditions under section 4(e) of the Federal Power Act to be incorporated into any new license for the project. Those resolved terms relate to protection and use of Forest Service-administered federal lands within and adjacent to the project boundary.
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