Endangered Species:
Potential Economic Costs of Further Protection for Columbia River Salmon
RCED-93-41: Published: Feb 23, 1993. Publicly Released: Mar 5, 1993.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the likely economic impacts and the potential effectiveness of measures to protect certain stocks of wild salmon.
GAO found that: (1) the potential direct net economic costs of undertaking selected salmon-protection measures could range from $2 million to $211 million annually; (2) measures to improve the survival rate of juvenile salmon included drawing down reservoir levels or increasing water spillage over certain dams and augmenting the existing flows in order to reduce the number of juvenile salmon killed; (3) reduced hydroelectric power generation at Columbia River Basin dams, along with dam modifications, accounted for the major share of the estimated costs for wildlife conservation; (4) dam modifications will cost considerably more than estimated; (5) the Bonneville Power Administration estimated that the direct net economic costs in hydroelectric power to draw down four reservoirs will range from $47 million to $122 million annually; (6) the net direct economic costs represent the dollar value of goods and services spent in sectors directly affected by the protection measures; (7) information on the estimated costs of protecting salmon through measures other than changing streamflows was unavailable; and (8) there were no scientific estimates of the degree of success the streamflow measures will have.
Jan 15, 2021
-
Environmental Liabilities:
NASA's Reported Financial Liabilities Have Grown, and Several Factors Contribute to Future UncertaintiesGAO-21-205: Published: Jan 15, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 15, 2021.
Jan 13, 2021
-
Nuclear Waste:
Congressional Action Needed to Clarify a Disposal Option at West Valley Site in New YorkGAO-21-115: Published: Jan 13, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2021.
Jan 7, 2021
-
Hanford Cleanup:
DOE's Efforts to Close Tank Farms Would Benefit from Clearer Legal Authorities and CommunicationGAO-21-73: Published: Jan 7, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2021.
Dec 18, 2020
-
Drinking Water:
EPA Could Use Available Data to Better Identify Neighborhoods at Risk of Lead ExposureGAO-21-78: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020. -
Recycling:
Building on Existing Federal Efforts Could Help Address Cross-Cutting ChallengesGAO-21-87: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020.
Dec 9, 2020
-
Environmental Protection:
Action Needed to Ensure EPA's Enforcement and Compliance Activities Support Its Strategic GoalsGAO-21-82: Published: Dec 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020. -
Oil and Gas:
Onshore Competitive and Noncompetitive Lease RevenuesGAO-21-138: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020.
Dec 7, 2020
-
Air Pollution:
Opportunities to Better Sustain and Modernize the National Air Quality Monitoring SystemGAO-21-38: Published: Nov 12, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 7, 2020.
Nov 20, 2020
-
Crude Oil Markets:
Effects of the Repeal of the Crude Oil Export BanGAO-21-118: Published: Oct 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
-
EPA Grants to Tribes:
Additional Actions Needed to Effectively Address Tribal Environmental ConcernsGAO-21-150: Published: Oct 20, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here