Snake River Basin, including southern Idaho, south-
east Oregon, and northern Nevada. 
(9) The United States Government has signed 
treaties with Indian tribes in Oregon, Washington, 
Montana, and Idaho and with the Government of 
Canada creating a legally enforceable trust responsi-
bility to restore salmon populations to sustainable, 
harvestable levels. 
(10) Since the construction of 4 Federal dams 
on the lower Snake River in Washington, salmon 
and steelhead populations in the Snake River have 
significantly declined, and all salmon and steelhead 
in the Snake River are extinct or listed as endan-
gered or threatened under the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 
(11) Recent studies indicate that the time re-
maining to protect remaining Snake River salmon 
and steelhead is short, with scientists estimating 
that, if changes do not occur, many if not all of the 
remaining Snake River salmon and steelhead popu-
lations will be extinct in our lifetime. 
(12) A federally funded group of State, tribal, 
Federal, and independent scientists found that par-
tially removing the 4 lower Snake River dams in 
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Washington is the surest way to protect and recover 
Snake River salmon and steelhead. 
(13) Several communities that rely on the 4 
lower Snake River dams would be affected by partial 
dam removal. 
(14) A Federal court has found that the 4 
lower Snake River dams violate water quality stand-
ards under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 
(33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.). 
(15) Energy production in the Northwest is 
heavily dependent upon hydropower and thus, the 
prospects for salmon recovery and hydropower man-
agement are inextricably linked. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to ensure the protection and recovery of Co-
lumbia and Snake River salmon and steelhead to 
self-sustaining, harvestable levels, while providing for 
reliable, reasonably priced energy in the Northwest 
and an economically sustainable salmon recovery 
program, and to maximize the potential economic 
benefits from potential dam removal while mitigating 
for its impacts; and 
(2) to ensure that the Northwest and the Na-
tion have completed the necessary planning and eval-
uation to efficiently manage salmon recovery, imple-
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ment biologically effective measures, and respond 
rapidly if major new actions are necessary to protect 
and recover salmon and steelhead in the Columbia 
and Snake River Basin. 
SEC. 3. SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF FEDERAL SALMON RE-
COVERY EFFORTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce 
shall enter into an arrangement with the National Acad-
emy of Sciences providing for scientific analysis of Federal 
salmon protection, restoration, and recovery actions (here-
inafter ‘‘recovery actions’’) and submission of a report on 
the results of the analysis in accordance with subsection 
(c). 
(b) SUBJECTS OF ANALYSIS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this section, 
scientific analysis shall include, at a minimum, re-
view of— 
(A) the biological effectiveness of— 
(i) current Federal recovery actions 
for Columbia and Snake River Basin salm-
on and steelhead populations; and 
(ii) anticipated Federal recovery ac-
tions for such populations, including those 
actions currently in the planning stage or 
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proposed in the most current Federal Co-
lumbia River Power System biological 
opinion; and 
(B) the timelines for, and feasibility of, im-
plementing those recovery actions. 
(2) COMPARISON OF EFFECTIVENESS.—In such 
review, the effectiveness of those actions— 
(A) shall be compared to the effectiveness 
of a Federal salmon recovery strategy that in-
cludes, but is not limited to, partial dam re-
moval; and 
(B) shall be evaluated and compared with 
respect to whether they are likely to achieve re-
covery to self-sustaining, harvestable population 
levels of naturally spawning, wild salmon and 
steelhead populations listed under section 4(c) 
of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1533). 
(3) IDENTIFICATION OF LIMITING FACTORS.— 
The analysis shall also identify limiting factors to 
salmon and steelhead recovery including the impacts 
of tributary habitat degradation, salmon harvest, 
hatcheries, and hydropower dams. 
(4) GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ANALYSIS.—The 
analysis shall also— 
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