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A Small Price by Callie Palmer Boise Weekly - November 11, 1999

What would happen to power rates in Idaho if the four lower Snake River dams were removed?

The following is taken from annual reports provided by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bonneville Power Administration and the remaining power providers in Idaho:

Idaho Power customers receive only one-fifth of 1 percent of their power from these dams, Pacificorp/Scottish customers one-third of 1 percent, and Avista/Washington Water Power customers around 1 percent. Power rates for customers of these utilities would increase less than one dollar per month if the dams disappeared.

The average residential bill for BPA customers, according to the Army Corps of Engineers, would increase $1.50-$5.30 per month, a small price to pay for the preservation of these special fish. Scratch increased utility rates as a reason to let them go extinct; the numbers speak for themselves. Bypass the lower Snake River dams in southeast Washington.