Schriever makes power move

Ed Schriever, the soon-to-be retired director of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, already has a new gig lined up.

On Thursday, Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced he is appointing Schriever to represent Idaho on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. He will replace Jim Yost, who is retiring after 15 years on the council.

The body was established by the Northwest Power Act of 1980. The law tasked the council with authoring a regional plan for a reliable and affordable supply of electrical power and to ensure that fish and wildlife in the Columbia River basin are not unduly harmed by the federal dams that produce much of the region’s electricity.

The governors of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana appoint two members each to the council. Its members write the regional power plan every five years and on an annual basis they review requests from state fish and wildlife agencies as well as Columbia River Indian Tribes to fund various programs and measures designed to help fish and wildlife harmed by the hydrosystem.

The council advises the Bonneville Power Administration on which of those programs should receive funding. The money comes from BPA ratepayers in the region and much of it is ultimately aimed at the recovery of Snake and Columbia River salmon and steelhead.

Shriever spent the entirety of his 39-year career with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and spent several years in Lewiston, where he was a fisheries biologist and regional fisheries manager.

He became director of the agency in 2019 and will retire in February.

“I am very humbled that Governor Little has asked me to continue my public service by serving Idaho on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. This is an important and interesting position that influences decisions important to Idaho,” Shriever said in a news release.

Schriever will join fellow Idaho representative Jeffery Allen on the council.

Yost was appointed to the council in 2007 after serving Idaho Govs. Phil Batt, Dirk Kempthorn and Butch Otter as a senior natural resource policy adviser.

“I want to thank Jim for his service to the State of Idaho and our natural resources sector for more than 50 years,” Little said in a news release. “His deep knowledge of our water, agriculture, and wildlife made him an asset to Idaho. Jim is a very good friend, and I wish him well in his retirement. I am also confident in Ed’s ability to represent Idaho on the council, and I am thankful to him for his service at Idaho Fish and Game.”

Jeffery Allen is Idaho’s other member of council

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.