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Bill Introduced in Congress to Block Breaching of Lower Snake River Dams by Staff Big Country News, January 25, 2024

"The deal President Biden brokered with radical environmentalists
... will forever change the way our river system operates."

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Dan Newhouse led other Northwest Republicans in introducing the Defending Against Manipulative Negotiators Act on Wednesday. The bill seeks to prohibit the use of federal funds from being used in breaching or altering the Lower Snake River Dams and to prohibit the implementation of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative.

The Biden Administration announced a 10-year stay in the Columbia River System Operations mediation, alongside over $1 billion in funding for wild fish restoration in the Columbia River Basin.

Throughout the mediation process, Newhouse alleges that key stakeholders and community members directly impacted by the litigation have been left in the dark as negotiations have taken place behind closed doors. "The Biden Administration and dam-breaching advocates are intent on achieving a de facto breach of the Four Lower Snake River Dams, by opening the gates to reduce the water below the minimum operating levels for hydroelectric generation," says a statement from Newhouse's office.

"Breaching the dams" is mentioned 68 times total in the package.

"The Biden Administration has crossed the line with its blatant, hypocritical assault on the Lower Snake River Dams," said Newhouse. "This Administration, since its campaign, claims to advocate for green energy solutions, yet disregards that notion when told to by manipulative environmental activists who do not understand how critical the dams are to the Pacific Northwest and a clean energy future."

Newhouse says the Defending Against Manipulative Negotiators Act, or DAMN ACT, is the first of many pieces of legislation that "combats this Administration's radical, unfair, and unsubstantiated effort to destroy our dams and the livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on them."

"The deal President Biden brokered with radical environmentalists behind closed doors will forever change the way our river system operates. It will devastate communities in Eastern Washington and across the Pacific Northwest, and it makes commitments on behalf of Congress without engaging with us. The administration understands only Congress has the authority to breach our dams. This legislation is how we use that power to make sure that never happens while protecting our region's way of life from the consequences of this deeply misguided plan," said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

"Removing the Lower Snake River Dams will decimate the economy, impacting industries like barging, agriculture, recreation, and energy across the Pacific Northwest." Congressman Fulcher said. "I am proud to cosponsor the DAMN ACT as it prohibits the use of federal funds to breach the dams. This legislation protects crucial industries, preserves the way of life for communities across the region, and maintains a source of clean, reliable baseload energy."

The legislation is supported by 10 stakeholders, who represent large constituencies, that would be directly affected by the removal and operational breaching of the Lower Snake River Dams including the Tri-City Development Council, Public Power Council, Inland Power, Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, Northwest River Partners, National Association of Wheat Growers, Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Washington State Potato Commission, Washington State Dairy Federation, and the Columbia Basin Development League.