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Commentaries and editorials

Columbia-Snake River Assoc. Asks
Mattis to Help Protect Dam System

by Alfredo Llanos
NBC News, February 27, 2018

Fish advocates blame the four dams with decimating salmon runs, but supporters say
that the hydropower and navigation provided by the dams helps restore runs.

Water flows through The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River, in The Dalles, Ore. A federal judge recently ruled that The Army Corps of Engineers must provide additional spill at eight federal dams along the Columbia and Snake Rivers this spring. The spill will aid out-migrating juvenile spring Chinook headed to the ocean. An appeal is pending. (Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press) TRI-CITIES, WA - On February 26, Secretary of Defense James Mattis made an appearance at an award ceremony in the Tri-Cities. In an open letter, the Columbia-Snake River Association asks the Secretary of Defense for help in protecting the Columbia-Snake dam system.

In the letter, the CSRIA says that the Endangered Species Act has encouraged 25 years of legal action. The Board of Directors thinks Secretary Mattis can help protect the hydropower system from further legal actions.

"We've been involved in this litigation for 25 years, and the the Power Administration has spent about $17 billion on the Fish and Wildlife Program, much of which is CSA litigation," said Dr. Darryll Olsen, a board representative with the Columbia-Snake River Association. "It's time to bring it to an end."

Last week, Washington State Senator Patty Murray made headlines for opposing a legislation that would prevent the breaching of four dams on the Snake River that could restore endangered salmon runs. However, Murray and two democratic House members are pushing an environmental study to find alternatives for salmon recovery.

Fish advocates blame the four dams with decimating salmon runs, but supporters say that the hydropower and navigation provided by the dams helps restore runs.

Related Pages:
Judge's Salmon Spill Program Won't Work by John McKern, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 12/11/17


Alfredo Llanos
Columbia-Snake River Assoc. Asks Mattis to Help Protect Dam System
NBC News, February 27, 2018

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