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Follow Science on Snake River Dams by Marjorie Millner The Columbian, April 22, 2025

One of the worst failings of the current administration is its decision to scorn science. This failing has led to the introduction of several bills that, if passed, would be catastrophic for our Pacific Northwest ecosystem, salmon and orcas.

The "Northwest Energy Security Act" (H.R. 626/S 182), the "Defending Our Dams Act" (H.R. 2073), and the "Protecting Our Water Energy Resource (POWER) Act" (H.R. 2074) would prohibit the removal of the four Lower Snake River dams, regardless of scientific findings or stakeholder consensus, locking in an unjustifiable status quo that has already cost ratepayers $25 billion in failed fish mitigation efforts.

These bills ignore a 2022 federal agency (NOAA) report confirming the impending extinction of Snake River salmon and the necessity of breaching the four Lower Snake River dams if the fish are to survive. These bills are an attempt to supersede an ongoing good faith negotiation regarding replacing the services of the dams, involving the Yakama, Umatilla, Nez Perce and Warm Springs tribes and the states of Washington and Oregon.

We should be able to breach the dams if the science supports it and there is stakeholder consensus. Tell your legislators to oppose those bills.

(bluefish points: to Chapter 7 of Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement, page 7-13)
With the implementation of Multiple Objective 3, which is primarily Remove Snake River Embankments:
"... there would be major increases in Snake River fall Chinook spawning habitat and associated potential beneficial effects for recreational, tribal, and commercial fishing."