Chronology – Year 2000
Public meetings launch the relicense
In March and April of 2000, PSE launched the licensing process with four public information meetings in Mount Vernon and Concrete – not far from the site of the electric and gas utility's two dams and powerhouses on the Baker River in Whatcom and Skagit Counties. About 160 organizations were notified of the opportunity for involvement. Participants received information about the project as it exists today – including generation capabilities, recreational opportunities, fish and other habitat enhancement measures and flood control provisions. In addition, PSE discussed the benefits of using FERC's Alternative Licensing Procedures to facilitate a collaborative relicensing process, and began soliciting stakeholders' interests and concerns.
In July, there was a fifth public meeting. In addition, nearly 100 members of the public visited the Baker Project on a special tour day in July, and shortly after more than 60 individuals attended one of several two-day training workshop emphasizing a process called RESOLVE to use for conflict-resolution and consensus-building. From this initial relicensing launch, PSE's stakeholder list grew to more than 500 individuals by 2004, and more than 400 meetings occurred.
Formation of five working groups
Participants' involvement began formally with the formation of five resource-specific working groups addressing the following resources: wildlife and terrestrial, aquatics, recreation and aesthetics, cultural and historical, and economics and operations. PSE staff, governmental agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations and the public began meeting monthly to establish operating procedures and meeting norms, share information, gather and discuss the relicensing interests of all entities, and begin preparing for what was to become the most time-consuming in their efforts – the identification, planning and completion of countless resource studies. In addition to the five on-going groups, a technical working group formed to address issues related to fish passage.
Solution team includes representatives from all interests
Within several months, the working groups were off and running. It was now time to assemble a team of high-level experts to oversee the relicense effort, consider recommendations provided by the working groups, determine which proposals to include in the license application, and ultimately craft the settlement agreement. Called the Baker Solution Team, this group included a representative from every interest involved in the relicensing effort – some 30 different organizations. The solution team's initial objective was to prepare a communications protocol and process document – two plans addressing how involved parties would endorse collaboration, consensus-building, creativity and flexibility as envisioned in the ALP. Once complete (in 2002), the communications protocol outlined tools for coordination and communication between all participants. The process document governed their interaction.