08/3006 Columbia River advisory panel named

Washington Ag August 30, 2006 A Columbia River Policy Advisory Group has been named by the Department of Ecology. The panel will provide advice as state agencies move forward to implement the Columbia River Water Management Program passed by the legislature earlier this year. Ecology public information manager Joye Redfield-Wilder says the group represents a broad spectrum of interested parties. Wilder: "They are made up of important people who have participated in developing the legislation and also stakeholders up and down the Columbia River from tribal members to irrigators to business people and county commissioners." One of the panel`s first tasks will be to help agencies develop priorities and criteria for funding conservation and storage projects. In addition the group will play a key role in identifying "preferred alternatives" through the current Columbia River Water Management Program environmental impact statement (EIS) process. A draft EIS will be available for comment this fall. Among those named to the advisory panel are John Stuhlmiller of the Washington Farm Bureau and Darryll Olsen of the Columbia-Snake River Irrigation Association. I'm Bob Hoff.