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Inslee, GOP Spar Over Push to Breach Snake River Dams as Endangered Salmon Populations Decline by Dalton Day My Northwest, May 21, 2019

With Washington Governor Jay Inslee behind an appraisal of the environmental and economic costs associated with breaching the four lower Snake River dams, U.S. Congressional Republicans have sponsored a legislative push to preserve the dams from structural modifications.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the four lower Snake River dams that supply 1,000 average annual megawatts of electricity, helping Washington state meet its peak power loads and maintain its power grid.

Those dams also have altered the physical, chemical, hydrological, and biological composition of the Snake River, limiting the ability of salmon to spawn.

The Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite dams were constructed with fish ladders to facilitate fish passage. However, the dams have transformed the lower Snake River into an effective series of reservoirs and have been held responsible for a "significant impact" on spring/summer Chinook salmon populations that spawn in the Snake River, according to a consultant's report commission by Gov. Inslee and U.S. Senator Patty Murray.

42% of Chinook populations that spawn on the Snake River are at quasi-extinction thresholds, with continued decline forecasted by the Columbia River System Operations. Forecasting models conducted by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicate that breaching the lower dams would "significantly improve passage for salmon," correlated with increased spawning rates.

Cost estimates associated with replacing the services the dams provide range between $10.3 and $27 billion. The dam's replacement would be contingent on Congressional approval.

"We continue to approach the question of breaching with open minds and without a predetermined decision," Inslee and Murray wrote in a joint statement.

"We look forward to hearing much more as this document is available for public review," referencing their request for public comment and community engagement available until July 11.

U.S. Congressional Republicans are already crying foul, nine of whom are sponsoring legislation that preserves the lower dams from structural modifications.

"Our country is officially facing the worst energy crisis since 1973. Gas prices have surpassed $5 a gallon nationwide, and there is a growing concern that blackouts this summer are imminent," Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) wrote in a statement.

"Meanwhile, there are groups focused on tearing out the lower snake river dams, which we now know could cost up to $27 billion and drastically reduce energy reliability in our state. This approach is misguided, it's alarming, and it needs to be stopped."

Inslee and Murray's report notes that binary framing around the issue of whether or not to breach the lower Snake River dams misses important context. Namely, summer droughts and declining snow packs have already called into question the long-term viability of the dams as recurring sources of renewable energy. Additionally, federal court orders protecting Chinook salmon from continued decline into extinction could restrict the operational function of the dams.

"In addition to changes in the system resulting from increasing spill, there will be changes in system operations to meet water temperature standards and other requirements to protect water quality for native in-river species," the report continues.

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A BILL

To provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
The Act may be cited as the "Federal Columbia River Power System Certainty Act".

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
For the purposes of this Act:
(1) FCRPS.--The term "FCRPS" means those portions of the Federal Columbia River Power System that are the subject of the Supplemental Opinion.

(2) SECRETARIES.
--The term "Secretaries" means--
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation;
(B) the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Bonneville Power Administration; and
(C) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Army Corps of Engineers.

(3) SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION.--The term "Supplemental Opinion" means the document titled "Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision", and dated September 2020.

SEC. 3. OPERATION OF FCRPS.
The Secretaries shall operate the FCRPS in a manner consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternative set forth in the Supplemental Opinion.

(bluefish inserts: MO3 -- the Multi-Objective centered around Remove Snake River Embankments -- is the most economic alternative of the Columbia River System Operations EIS.)

SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO SUPPLEMENTAL OPINION.
(a) IN GENERAL.--Notwithstanding section 3, the Secretaries may amend portions of the Supplemental Opinion and operate the FCRPS in accordance with such amendments if all of the Secretaries determine, in the sole discretion of each Secretary, that--
(1) the amendment is necessary for public safety or transmission and grid reliability; or
(2) the actions, operations, or other requirements that the amendment would remove are no longer warranted.

(b) RESTRICTION ON AMENDMENTS.
--The process described in subsection (a) shall be the only method by which the Secretaries may operate the FCRPS in any way that is not consistent with the reasonable and prudent alternative set forth in the Supplemental Opinion.

SEC. 5. LIMITATION ON RESTRICTING FCRPS ELECTRICAL GENERATION; CLARIFICATION. (a) RESTRICTING FCRPS ELECTRICAL GENERATION.
--No structural modification, action, study, or engineering plan that restricts electrical generation at any FCRPS hydroelectric dam, or that limits navigation on the Snake River in the State of Washington, Oregon, or Idaho, shall proceed unless such proposal is specifically and expressly authorized by a Federal statute enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) CLARIFICATION.--Nothing in this section affects or interferes with the authority of the Secretaries to conduct operation and maintenance activities or make capital improvements necessary to meet authorized project purposes of FCRPS facilities.