If the four Lower Snake River (LSR) dams are breached...
Q.
What role does Idaho, Oregon have in this?
A.
Although less of a role than Washington, Idaho also has substantial interests and Idaho's congressmen have been very involved in this issue over the years.
Idaho
A substantial amount of wheat, lentils and peas are trucked down the hill to Lewiston for barge delivery to Portland, Oregon.
A shortline rail from this region was recently abandoned with insufficient investment available for the necessary upkeep. In 2006, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, serving on the Senate Finance Committee, pressed the Senate to extend a 50 percent tax credit for reinvestment in rail facilities for regional railroads.
- The reservoir impounded by Lower Granite Dam extends to the Idaho / Washington border and 4.6 miles up the Clearwater in Idaho.
- Some Idaho commodities (primarily wheat, lentils, peas) are transported on the LSR reservoirs.
- Some irrigation water is pumped from Lower Granite Reservoir for muncipal and industrial use with a range of uses: Golf course irrigation (Lewiston Clarkston), paper production, and concrete aggregate washing.
- Some Idaho communities are served by BPA, though the majority are served by Idaho Power, which will be unaffected by LSR breaching.
- Illia Dunes on Lower Granite Reservoir is a popular party place for University of Idaho students.
- Sediment accumulating at the head of Lower Granite Reservoir is increasing the threat of flooding of Lewiston, Idaho.
Oregon
Oregon has sided with the Nez Perce and salmon conservation groups in successfully challenging NOAA Fisheries in federal court and continues to press for removal of LSR dams.
Breaching is reversible, extinction and ecosystem collapse is not.
The concept of sustainability has been increasingly brought into focus as we have become convinced that all systems on earth are interrelated and that many of today's problems were the solutions of yesterday. Sustainability is, however, a very old concept. Most American Indian cultures understood the importance of sustainability and sustainable development, living in harmony with all things.
Many people are familiar with the Seventh Generation philosophy commonly credited to the Iroquois Confederacy but practiced by many Native nations. The Seventh Generation philosophy mandated that tribal decision makers consider the effects of their actions and decisions for descendents seven generations into the future. There was a clear understanding that everything we do has consequences for something and someone else, reminding us that we are all ultimately connected to creation.
