Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Nez Perce Tribe, Warm Springs Tribe Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, Idaho State of Oregon, Petitioners-Intervenors, Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative, Intervenor v. Bonneville Power Administration, Public Power Council, Respondent-Intervenor. Sierra Club Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Associaton Institute for Fisheries Resources Idaho Rivers United, Inc., Pacific Northwest Generating Company (Pngc), Blachly-Lane County Cooperative Electric Association (Oregon) Central Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Oregon) Clearwater Power Company (Idaho) Consumers Power, Inc. (Oregon) Douglas Electric Cooperative (Oregon) Fall River Rural Electric Bpa No. Cooperative, Inc. (Idaho) Lane Electric Cooperative (Oregon) Lost River Rural Electric Cooperative (Idaho) Northern Lights, Inc. (Idaho) Okanogan County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Washington) Raft River Rural Electric Cooperative (Idaho) Salmon River Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Idaho) Umatilla Electric Cooperative Association (Oregon) West Oregon Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Oregon), Intervenors v. Bonneville Power Administration, Public Power Council, Respondent-Intervenor

342 F.3d 924, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7983, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 10033, 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 18114
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 2, 2003
Docket01-71736
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 342 F.3d 924 (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Nez Perce Tribe, Warm Springs Tribe Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, Idaho State of Oregon, Petitioners-Intervenors, Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative, Intervenor v. Bonneville Power Administration, Public Power Council, Respondent-Intervenor. Sierra Club Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Associaton Institute for Fisheries Resources Idaho Rivers United, Inc., Pacific Northwest Generating Company (Pngc), Blachly-Lane County Cooperative Electric Association (Oregon) Central Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Oregon) Clearwater Power Company (Idaho) Consumers Power, Inc. (Oregon) Douglas Electric Cooperative (Oregon) Fall River Rural Electric Bpa No. Cooperative, Inc. (Idaho) Lane Electric Cooperative (Oregon) Lost River Rural Electric Cooperative (Idaho) Northern Lights, Inc. (Idaho) Okanogan County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Washington) Raft River Rural Electric Cooperative (Idaho) Salmon River Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Idaho) Umatilla Electric Cooperative Association (Oregon) West Oregon Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Oregon), Intervenors v. Bonneville Power Administration, Public Power Council, Respondent-Intervenor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Nez Perce Tribe, Warm Springs Tribe Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, Idaho State of Oregon, Petitioners-Intervenors, Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative, Intervenor v. Bonneville Power Administration, Public Power Council, Respondent-Intervenor. Sierra Club Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Associaton Institute for Fisheries Resources Idaho Rivers United, Inc., Pacific Northwest Generating Company (Pngc), Blachly-Lane County Cooperative Electric Association (Oregon) Central Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Oregon) Clearwater Power Company (Idaho) Consumers Power, Inc. (Oregon) Douglas Electric Cooperative (Oregon) Fall River Rural Electric Bpa No. Cooperative, Inc. (Idaho) Lane Electric Cooperative (Oregon) Lost River Rural Electric Cooperative (Idaho) Northern Lights, Inc. (Idaho) Okanogan County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Washington) Raft River Rural Electric Cooperative (Idaho) Salmon River Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Idaho) Umatilla Electric Cooperative Association (Oregon) West Oregon Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Oregon), Intervenors v. Bonneville Power Administration, Public Power Council, Respondent-Intervenor, 342 F.3d 924, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7983, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 10033, 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 18114 (9th Cir. 2003).

Opinion

342 F.3d 924

CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE UMATILLA INDIAN RESERVATION; Nez Perce Tribe, Petitioners,
Warm Springs Tribe; Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, Idaho; State of Oregon, Petitioners-Intervenors,
Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative, Intervenor,
v.
BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION, Respondent,
Public Power Council, Respondent-Intervenor.
Sierra Club; Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Associaton; Institute for Fisheries Resources; Idaho Rivers United, Inc., Petitioners,
Pacific Northwest Generating Company (PNGC), Blachly-Lane County Cooperative Electric Association (Oregon); Central Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Oregon); Clearwater Power Company (Idaho); Consumers Power, Inc. (Oregon); Douglas Electric Cooperative (Oregon); Fall River Rural Electric Bpa No. Cooperative, Inc. (Idaho); Lane Electric Cooperative (Oregon); Lost River Rural Electric Cooperative (Idaho); Northern Lights, Inc. (Idaho); Okanogan County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Washington); Raft River Rural Electric Cooperative (Idaho); Salmon River Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Idaho); Umatilla Electric Cooperative Association (Oregon); West Oregon Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Oregon), Intervenors,
v.
Bonneville Power Administration, Respondent,
Public Power Council, Respondent-Intervenor.

No. 01-71736.

No. 01-71740.

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Argued and Submitted May 6, 2003 — Portland, Oregon.

Filed September 2, 2003.

COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED Christopher B. Leahy, Fredricks & Pelcyger, Louisville, Colorado, for petitioner Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation; Daniel J. Rohlf, Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center, Portland, Oregon, for petitioners, Sierra Club, et al., David J. Cummings, Lapwai, Idaho, for petitioner Nez Perce Tribe; Todd D. True, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Seattle, Oregon, for petitioners, Sierra Club, et al.

Stephanie L. Striffler, Special Counsel to the Attorney General, Salem, Oregon, for petitioner-intervenor State of Oregon; Howard G. Arnett, Karnopp Petersen Noteboom Hansen Arnett & Sayeg LLP, Bend, Oregon, for petitioner-intervenor Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon. David J. Adler, Portland, Oregon, and Mark R. Haag, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for respondent Bonneville Power Administration.

Denise Peterson, Portland, Oregon, for respondent-intervenor Public Power Council.

R. Erick Johnson, Portland, Oregon, for non-aligned intervenor Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative.

Clay R. Smith, Deputy Attorney General, Boise, Idaho, for amicus State of Idaho.

On Petition for Review of an Order of the Bonneville Power Administration. No. 01-71736 BPA No. Power Act.

Before DONALD P. LAY,* J. CLIFFORD WALLACE, and RICHARD C. TALLMAN, Circuit Judges.

OPINION

WALLACE, Senior Circuit Judge:

Petitioners Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Nez Perce Tribe (collectively, Tribes), Sierra Club, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, Institute for Fisheries Resources, and Idaho Rivers United (collectively, Sierra Club), and Petitioner-Intervenor State of Oregon petition for review of numerous decisions of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Petitioners argue that the BPA both exceeded its legal authority and violated its statutory duty to treat fish and wildlife equitably with power. Except as otherwise explained, we have jurisdiction over Petitioners' timely-filed petitions under 16 U.S.C. § 839f(e). We dismiss some petitions for want of jurisdiction, and we deny the remainder on the merits.

I.

Created in 1937, BPA is the marketing authority for almost all federally generated electric power in the Pacific Northwest. 16 U.S.C. § 838f. The BPA administrator must exercise his hydroelectric power responsibilities "in a manner that provides equitable treatment" for fish and wildlife. 16 U.S.C. § 839b(h)(11)(A)(i). Petitioners contend that BPA violated this equitable treatment mandate through twenty-two years of agency inaction and by an August 8, 2001, Decision Document which announced BPA's intention to implement biological opinions issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Petitioners also assert that BPA lacks authority to issue emergency declarations affecting hydrosystem operations.

BPA's actions may be set aside if they are arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law. 16 U.S.C. § 839f(e)(2) (imposing standards of 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(A)). Agency action is arbitrary and capricious if the agency

has relied on factors which Congress has not intended it to consider, entirely failed to consider an important aspect of the problem, offered an explanation for its decision that runs counter to the evidence before the agency, or is so implausible that it could not be ascribed to a difference in view or the product of agency expertise.

Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Ass'n of U.S., Inc. v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 463 U.S. 29, 43, 103 S.Ct. 2856, 77 L.Ed.2d 443 (1983). Due to the complex subject matter and BPA's factual and legal expertise, we give special, substantial deference to BPA's interpretation of the Northwest Power Act. Aluminum Co. of Am. v. Central Lincoln Peoples' Util. Dist., 467 U.S. 380, 389, 104 S.Ct. 2472, 81 L.Ed.2d 301 (1984); Northwest Envtl. Defense Ctr. v. Bonneville Power Admin., 117 F.3d 1520, 1530 (9th Cir.1997) (NEDC). BPA's interpretation will be upheld if it is a "reasonable interpretation of the relevant provisions." NEDC, 117 F.3d at 1530.

II.

The Tribes argue that, for twenty-two years, BPA failed to treat fish and wildlife on par with power. They point to various decisions in which BPA has allegedly failed its statutory mandate: its 1995 Business Plan, its 1997 System Operations Review Environmental Impact Statement, its 1998 Subscription Strategy, and a 2002 rate case. The Tribes acknowledge that they do not challenge these prior decisions, but instead challenge BPA's alleged unreasonable delay in creating a document, plan, mechanism, decision-making tool, or decision to provide equitable treatment.

We are not convinced that the Tribes truly challenge BPA's unreasonable delay rather than its prior decisions. See Puget Sound Energy, Inc. v. United States, 310 F.3d 613, 621-22 (9th Cir.2002) (determining the true nature of the claim before determining its timeliness); Ecology Ctr., Inc. v. U.S. Forest Serv.,

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