Tag Archives: dams

From the Capital Press Republican lawmakers continue to warn President Joe Biden about secret plans developed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit over the four lower Snake River dams. Republican Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho and Steve Daines of Montana sent a letter to Biden to discuss their concerns ... Read More »

From Fox News The Biden administration is quietly discussing a potentially far-reaching settlement with environmental groups that advocate for tearing down four hydroelectric dams in Washington to protect salmon. Federal attorneys representing the government said it had “developed a package of actions and commitments” and agreed to pause litigation with environmental activist plaintiffs in the case, according to court documents ... Read More »

From the Capital Press A stay in long-running litigation over the Snake River dams has been extended for 60 days to allow federal mediation to continue, but ag and electrical utility stakeholders say they’re losing faith in the process. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

From the Capital Press Northwest stakeholders say they’ve been shut out of the federal mediation sessions over the Snake River dams. “We are not being informed about anything that’s happening in the mediation,” said Kurt Miller, executive director of Northwest RiverPartners, an association that advocates for hydropower. “In the process, there hasn’t been any mediation that’s involved us.” Read the ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The Columbia-Snake River System is a keystone of the Pacific Northwest agricultural economy, an advocate for river users says. An average of 51 million tons of cargo moves through the lower Columbia River each year. About two-thirds of those exports are grain, and about 8.5 million tons of cargo are barged through the inland system of ... Read More »

From the Tri-City Herald Four conservation and fishing groups plan a lawsuit over high water temperatures in the Snake River, calling for actions that could include removing the four lower Snake River dams in Eastern Washington. Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League and the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association formally notified the Army Corps of Engineers on Friday that ... Read More »

From the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association On July 10, the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA) released a review of scientific literature which confirms that data is lacking to confirm delayed mortality effects of the Lower Snake River dams (LSRD) on ESA listed fish. Delayed mortality is the scientific hypothesis that proponents of dam breaching rely upon to justify removal of ... Read More »

Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) testified June 26, 2023, in front of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries regarding the importance of the Columbia Snake River System, and the Lower Snake River Dams in particular, for wheat farmers in the state of Washington. “Farmers, including myself and my family, ... Read More »

From the Capital Press The vast majority of salmon are getting up, over, around and through the four lower Snake River dams even as legal challenges and political battles swirl around them, according to the federal agency in charge of monitoring fish health. Read the rest of the article here. Read More »

By U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers Special to the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Last month, President Biden signaled his support for tearing out four federal hydroelectric dams that are integral to energy reliability, navigation, and irrigation in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s our message to the president: Come visit our communities and see the river system with your own eyes ... Read More »