WAWG leads ag letter to legislators on dam study funding

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers led a letter earlier this week to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Transportation and Operating committees regarding proposed funding on a study on “breach-readiness” on the lower Snake River dams.

Dear Chairs and Ranking Members: 

On behalf of the thousands of farming families, irrigators, and agricultural businesses that form the backbone of Washington’s economy, the undersigned organizations write to express our unified opposition to the “breach-readiness” funding proposed in the 2026 Supplemental Operating and Transportation Budgets. 

While these appropriations are often framed as “studies,” the specific proviso language in ESSB 5998 and its House companions signals a definitive move by the State toward the active implementation of a post-dam world. Our coalition cannot support a budget that uses taxpayer dollars to engineer the dismantling of the most efficient, carbon-friendly, and economically vital transportation and energy corridor in the Pacific Northwest. 

We urge you to consider the following impacts of these budget provisos: 

1. The Economic Deception of “Scenario 7” (Transportation Budget) The continued funding for WSDOT to model “Scenario 7” is a direct threat to agricultural viability. While the State touts a reduction in “truck miles,” WSDOT’s own data admits this plan will result in an annual increase of $8 million in transportation costs for farming enterprises. Shifting over 60% of our state’s wheat from barges to rail and trucks will congest local roads, increase carbon emissions, and force producers to absorb costs that the current budget fails to mitigate. 

2. Engineering a “Shadow” Energy Grid (Operating Budget – ESSB 5998) The $500,000 appropriation to design an electricity “replacement portfolio” (shifting the deadline to June 30, 2027) is a spend-ahead on a crisis the State is creating. Replacing 1,000 MW of reliable, baseload hydropower with intermittent resources is a recipe for energy instability. For our members, this means higher costs for refrigerated storage, irrigation pumping, and food processing—costs that will ultimately be passed on to Washington consumers. 

3. The Threat to Irrigated Agriculture The budget’s focus on “Water Supply Replacement” and “Post-Dam Recreation” ignores the true scale of the risk. The Lower Snake River pool currently irrigates 48,000 acres of high-value crops (apples, potatoes, and corn) with an indirect value of nearly $2 billion. We oppose using state funds to study the “replacement” of these certain economic drivers with the speculative revenue of a “post-dam” tourism economy.

Conclusion The 2026 Supplemental Budgets should focus on the maintenance and modernization of our existing multi-modal system. We urge you to strip these “breach-readiness” provisos from the final budget and stand with the producers who feed our state and the world. 

Sincerely, 

Washington Association of Wheat Growers 

Highline Grain Inc. 

Washington Potato and Onion Association 

Washington Cattlemen’s Association 

Washington State Water Resources Association 

Washington Farm Bureau 

Yakima Klickitat Farm Association 

Yakima County Cattlemen’s Association 

Washington Potato Commission 

Washington Winegrowers Association 

Washington State Tree Fruit Association 

Washington Friends of Farms and Forests 

Far West Agribusiness Association 

Washington Grain Commission 

NW Agricultural Cooperative Council 

Washington Farm Forestry Association 

Beef Northwest 

Washington State Dairy Federation