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Snake River Dams Aren't Needed by Stan Kuick Tri-City Herald, April 15, 2021

This is regarding the recent Tri-City Herald op-ed from three state senators about the how the looming power shortages make it impossible to remove the Lower Snake River dams.

The article points out that the recent Environmental Impact Study recommends that the dams be retained. This study was commissioned by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power, all parties who have a vested interest in keeping the dams. The foxes are guarding the henhouse! The senators didn't mention that the same study admits that removing the dams is the option most likely to benefit the salmon runs.

The article also says that (Gov.) Jay Inslee is planning on shutting down all coal and gas power plants by 2025. The chances of this happening are about the same as the Snake River salmon recovering if we don't remove the lower dams -- zero. These dams only supply 4% of the region's power, and we often have a power surplus that allows 25% of the power to be exported outside of the region. And the times that they have "saved our bacon" have been very rare and very brief and could be handled by purchasing outside power.