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Welcome to the U. S. Institute's Sullivan Creek Project Website!
This website will serve as an information source for U. S. Institute-sponsored activities related to the Sullivan Creek Hydropower Project Settlement Process Negotiation
The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution (U.S. Institute) was requested to provide independent and impartial neutral services to facilitate settlement discussions related to the surrender of license for dams located at Sullivan Lake and Sullivan Creek on the Colville National Forest. The goal will be to develop a comprehensive settlement package, to be filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, resolving the issues related to the surrender of license for the Project and any special use authorization that may need to be issued by the USDA Forest Service for facilities that will remain on National Forest System lands.
The U.S. Institute will seek to involve interested parties and stakeholders in the process, and to develop an effective structure that protects the integrity of the process - including confidentiality among participants, effective documentation of the agreement, as well as regular communication with stakeholders and the public at large.
Cherie Shanteau-Wheeler, the U.S. Institute’s Sr. Program Manager/Sr. Mediator will serve as the mediator in the negotiation. Her tasks include:
- Conduct a situation/needs assessment, analyze key findings, document and share key findings with participants.
- Conduct a preliminary planning meeting to discuss next steps and reach agreement on appropriate protocols and ground rules for the mediation.
- Plan, design, and adapt the negotiation process jointly with all affected stakeholders
- Determine an appropriate mechanism for engaging the broader public and communicating the results of the settlement talks
- Facilitate and document, as appropriate, all meetings and points of agreement achieved by participants
The U.S. Institute is a federal program established in 1998 by the U.S. Congress to assist parties in resolving environmental, natural resource and public land conflicts. Since its creation, the U.S. Institute has been involved in hundreds of environmental issues around the country, For more information about the U.S. Institute, visit www.ecr.gov.
The U.S. Institute is a program of the Tucson-based Morris K. Udall Foundation, an independent agency of the executive branch overseen by a board of trustees appointed by the President. The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established in 1992 by Congress to honor the late Morris K. Udall's thirty years of service in the House of Representatives. For more information about the Udall Foundation, visit www.udall.gov.
To see the Forest Service's Sullivan Creek website, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/colville/projects/sullivan-cr/.
To see the Pend Oreille PUD No. 1's Sullivan Creek website, visit http://www.popud.com/sullivan_creek_public_mtg.htm.
For questions about this website, please contact: usiecr@ecr.gov. This page was last updated Tuesday, March 17, 2009.