The Proposal to Breach Snake River Dams

We at the Deschutes River Alliance believe in following science especially for the benefit of resident and anadromous fish. When we first learned of a proposal to remove the Snake River Dams, we were excited. All of the science supports removing these dams for the benefit of the wild salmon populations. The fish will not survive if the dams continue as is.

When we really looked at Representative Simpson’s proposal, our excitement shifted to extreme concern. The proposal contains three points that would be devastating for the entire Columbia Basin. The proposal would:

• Lock in the Status Quo for all Other Qualifying Dams and Hydropower Projects for up to 50 Years: The proposal would lock in ALL other public and private hydropower dams licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) over 5 megawatts in the Columbia Basin in the U.S. with a 35-year license extension (up to 50 years total on the license). This means that new operating agreements, necessitated by relicensing, would not have a venue for negotiation. New fish mitigation requirements would not be mandated for dams with expiring licenses.
o There are 82 Columbia Basin dams that would be included in these extensions based on the Simpson proposal language.

• Waive Bedrock Federal Environmental Laws at These Dams for 35 Years: The proposal would suspend widely supported environmental laws at ALL of these dams with respect to anadromous fish for 35 years. Species, habitat, and water quality would no longer be protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Clean Water Act (CWA), or National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) at any such dams across the Columbia Basin. The proposal would stop all ongoing litigation for 35 years.
o The same 82 Columbia River dams would be subject to these moratoria.

• Waive Bedrock Environmental Laws with Respect to Agriculture and Water for 25 Years: The proposal would allocate 3 billion dollars for “voluntary” agricultural watershed partnerships. Wherever a partnership is located—likely across the entire Columbia Basin that includes large parts of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana—the Concept exempts “agricultural interests” from the CWA and the ESA for 25 years with respect “to water issues in their basin.” Think: animal waste from CAFOs, fertilizer run-off, and pesticides all finding their way into drinking water.

A group of like-minded organizations have been working together to bring attention to the issues surrounding the proposal. Together we issued a statement addressing our concerns.

Simpson’s proposal is just that - a proposal. There has yet to be any legislative language distributed. We are hopeful that our issues can be addressed and the positives of this proposal can move forward into legislative action to the benefit fish of the entire basin.