[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2569 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2569

To amend the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation 
 Act to provide for expanding the scope of the Independent Scientific 
                             Review Panel.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

              October 7 (legislative day, October 2), 1998

   Mr. Gorton (for himself, Mr. Smith of Oregon, and Mr. Kempthorne) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation 
 Act to provide for expanding the scope of the Independent Scientific 
                             Review Panel.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REVIEW OF REIMBURSABLE PROJECTS, PROGRAMS, AND MEASURES BY 
              THE INDEPENDENT SCIENTIFIC REVIEW PANEL OF THE PACIFIC 
              NORTHWEST ELECTRIC POWER PLANNING COUNCIL.

    Section 4(h)(10)(D) of the Pacific Northwest Electric Power 
Planning and Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 839b(h)(10)(D)) is amended by 
striking clauses (vii) and (viii) and inserting the following:
                            ``(vii) Review by the panel of reimbursable 
                        projects, programs, and measures.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--With regard to 
                                Columbia Basin fish and wildlife 
                                projects, programs or measures proposed 
                                in a Federal agency budget to be 
                                reimbursed by BPA, or paid through a 
                                direct funding agreement with BPA, the 
                                panel shall annually--
                                            ``(aa) review such 
                                        proposals;
                                            ``(bb) determine whether 
                                        the proposals are consistent 
                                        with the criteria stated in 
                                        item (iv);
                                            ``(cc) make any 
                                        recommendations that the Panel 
                                        considers appropriate to make 
                                        the project, program, or 
                                        measure meet the criteria 
                                        stated in item (iv); and
                                            ``(dd) transmit the 
                                        recommendations to the Council 
                                        no later than April 1 of each 
                                        year.
                                    ``(II) Public availability and 
                                comment.--Determinations and 
                                recommendations made by the Panel under 
                                subclause (I) shall be available to the 
                                public and shall be subject to public 
                                comment as in item (v).
                                    ``(III) Role of the council.--The 
                                Council shall fully consider the 
                                recommendations of the Panel when 
                                making its final recommendations of 
                                projects proposed by Federal agencies 
                                and reimbursed by BPA, or paid through 
                                a direct funding agreement with BPA. 
                                The Council shall submit its 
                                recommendations to the House and Senate 
                                Committees on Appropriations and 
                                relevant authorizing committees no 
                                later than May 15 of each year. If the 
                                Council does not incorporate a 
                                recommendation of the Panel in its 
                                recommendations, the Council shall 
                                explain in writing its reasons for not 
                                accepting Panel recommendations.
                            ``(viii) Cost limitation.--The annual cost 
                        of this provision shall not exceed $750,000 in 
                        1997 dollars.
                            ``(ix) Expiration.--This paragraph shall 
                        expire on September 30, 2002.''.
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