January 17, 2003

VANCOUVER, WA ? Judi Danielson, an Idaho member of the Northwest Power Planning Council from Boise, was elected chair of the four-state compact at its most recent meeting, Thursday in Vancouver. Tom Karier of Spokane, the Eastern Washington member of the Council, was elected vice chair. Both terms are for one calendar year.

Judi Danielson

Tom Karier

?The Council and the region face many difficult challenges in enhancing fisheries, protecting wildlife and ensuring a viable power supply from federal hydroelectric facilities,? said Danielson upon her election. ?As chair, I intend to lead the Council in the spirit of fairness, co-operativeness and openness as well as fiscal responsibility."

Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne appointed Danielson to the Council in 2001. Danielson served three full terms in the Idaho Senate, most recently as Senate Majority Caucus Chairman and Vice-Chair of the Senate Resources and Environment Committee. She also served as chair of the Western Legislative Forestry Task Force and as a member of the Public Lands Subcommittee of the Council of State Governments-West, and played a key role in the development of Idaho's proposal for cooperative state and federal management of forest lands. She served in the Idaho House of Representatives from 1988 to 1994. Danielson attended the University of Idaho and Boise State University.

Washington Governor Gary Locke appointed Karier to the Council in 1998. Karier was chair of the Council's Power Committee in 1998 and again in 2002. Prior to serving on the Council, Dr. Karier was an associate dean at Eastern Washington University and a professor of economics. He is the author of two textbooks on economics, ?Beyond Competition? and ?Great Experiments in American Economic Policy.? While serving on the Council he has contributed to the development of the Council's annual report to the Northwest Governors on expenditures of the Bonneville Power Administration to implement the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program.

The Council is an agency of the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington and is directed by the Northwest Power Act of 1980 to prepare a program to protect, mitigate and enhance fish and wildlife of the Columbia River Basin affected by hydropower dams while also assuring the region an adequate, efficient, economical and reliable power supply.