Leaked Plans for Dam Removals Spur Controversy in the Pacific Northwest

360

A leaked proposal from parties in a federal lawsuit over the impacts of dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers on federally-listed salmon and steelhead has revealed the Biden administration’s plans to work with federal agencies and Native American tribes in order to eventually remove four dams on the Snake River, Steve Ernst and K.C. Mehaffey reported for Clearing Up on November 22, 2023. Alex Baumhardt produced a follow-up report with additional detail for the Washington State Standard on November 30, 2023. 

The leaked plans for the Snake River, which runs through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, call for habitat restoration and alternative energy development on tribal lands in the Columbia Basin during the next decade, Baumhardt reported. Without urgent attention, federal scientists predict that 13 separate salmon and steelhead runs in the Columbia Basin would face a “moderate to high” likelihood of extinction.

Ernst and Mahaffey reported that the government plan is part of a “package of actions and commitments” developed by federal agencies, environmental plaintiffs, the state governments of Oregon and Washington, and four tribes—the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, and the Nez Perce Tribe.

Noting that the draft memorandum of understanding “does not include breaching or depowering any of the four lower Snake River dams,” Ernst and Mahaffey reported that it does put the region “on a ‘path to breaching,’ according to multiple sources who agreed to speak with Clearing Up on the condition that they remain anonymous over fear of retribution from the White House.”

The plan’s opponents, Ernst and Mahaffey wrote, include Republican representatives in the Northwest, including Oregon congressman Cliff Bentz, electric utilities, and an industry group representing community-owned electric utilities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada and Wyoming.

Elizabeth Manning, a spokesperson for Earthjustice, said it’s unnecessary to pit the region’s power needs against its fish species. The goal, she explained in the Washington State Standard article, is “to reach a comprehensive solution that would prevent salmon extinction, restore the Columbia River Basin ecosystem and replace the services now provided by the dams so the Pacific Northwest can chart a more sustainable and resilient future.”

Sources: 

Steve Ernst and K.C. Mehaffey, “‘Path to Breaching’ Snake River Dams Rattles Northwest,” Clearing Up, November 22, 2023.

Alex Baumhardt, “Feds Consider Removing Snake River Dams in Leaked Agreement with Plaintiffs in Lawsuit,” Washington State Standard, November 30, 2023.

Student Researcher: Caleb Gilbert (Saint Michael’s College)

Faculty Evaluator: Rob Williams (Saint Michael’s College)

360

A leaked proposal from parties in a federal lawsuit over the impacts of dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers on federally-listed salmon and steelhead has revealed the Biden administration’s plans to work with federal agencies and Native American tribes in order to eventually remove four dams on the Snake River, Steve Ernst and K.C. Mehaffey reported for Clearing Up on November 22, 2023. Alex Baumhardt produced a follow-up report with additional detail for the Washington State Standard on November 30, 2023. 

The leaked plans for the Snake River, which runs through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, call for habitat restoration and alternative energy development on tribal lands in the Columbia Basin during the next decade, Baumhardt reported. Without urgent attention, federal scientists predict that 13 separate salmon and steelhead runs in the Columbia Basin would face a “moderate to high” likelihood of extinction.

Ernst and Mahaffey reported that the government plan is part of a “package of actions and commitments” developed by federal agencies, environmental plaintiffs, the state governments of Oregon and Washington, and four tribes—the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, and the Nez Perce Tribe.

Noting that the draft memorandum of understanding “does not include breaching or depowering any of the four lower Snake River dams,” Ernst and Mahaffey reported that it does put the region “on a ‘path to breaching,’ according to multiple sources who agreed to speak with Clearing Up on the condition that they remain anonymous over fear of retribution from the White House.”

The plan’s opponents, Ernst and Mahaffey wrote, include Republican representatives in the Northwest, including Oregon congressman Cliff Bentz, electric utilities, and an industry group representing community-owned electric utilities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada and Wyoming.

Elizabeth Manning, a spokesperson for Earthjustice, said it’s unnecessary to pit the region’s power needs against its fish species. The goal, she explained in the Washington State Standard article, is “to reach a comprehensive solution that would prevent salmon extinction, restore the Columbia River Basin ecosystem and replace the services now provided by the dams so the Pacific Northwest can chart a more sustainable and resilient future.”

Sources: 

Steve Ernst and K.C. Mehaffey, “‘Path to Breaching’ Snake River Dams Rattles Northwest,” Clearing Up, November 22, 2023.

Alex Baumhardt, “Feds Consider Removing Snake River Dams in Leaked Agreement with Plaintiffs in Lawsuit,” Washington State Standard, November 30, 2023.

Student Researcher: Caleb Gilbert (Saint Michael’s College)

Faculty Evaluator: Rob Williams (Saint Michael’s College)