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White House says it's Neutral on Snake River Dam Mediation by Matthew Weaver Capital Press, June 12, 2023

"We can protect not only the Snake River dams, but all dams."
-- Chandler Goule, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers

The Biden administration says it has not taken a position on whether it will recommend that Congress authorize breaching the four lower Snake River dams.

The administration is working with tribes, states and stakeholders in the region to develop a "long-term, durable plan" for the Columbia River System, said Alyssa Roberts, communications director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

"We are committed to working together to bring healthy and abundant salmon runs back to the Columbia River System and honoring federal commitments to tribal nations while supporting local and regional economies -- including critically important agricultural production and transportation," Roberts told the Capital Press. "This includes attempting to mediate long-running litigation with the help of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service."

The mediation will end Aug. 31.

Agricultural stakeholders have criticized the process as "skewed" and "predetermined" in favor of dam breaching.

Heather Stebbings, executive director of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, recently told the Capital Press she did not feel all stakeholders have been given the same consideration.

"We really wanted this mediation to focus more on the things we can all agree on for the fish, rather than myopically focus on breaching the Snake River dams," Stebbings said in May.

"We know for any good outcome to come from mediation, you have to have all sides equally represented," said Chandler Goule, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers. "Right now, it definitely seems to be heading down a very skewed path that does not fully represent the negative impacts if this dam breaching is allowed to continue."

Goule said he is concerned that the people who oppose dam breaching "are not going to have the same volume of voice" as those who support breaching.

"This has become very political; had it not been political and more of an agency mediation, I think we would have had much more equal representation," he said. "But now that this has made it all the way up to the White House, clearly they are going to want their side to win."

Pacific Northwest agriculture groups in March sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, asking him to step in on the federal mediation process.

NAWG intends to follow up with Vilsack, inquiring on the status of his response and encouraging him to release it "sooner rather than later."

NAWG "adamantly" opposes breaching of any dams used in barge transportation systems.

"The environmental benefits and carbon and greenhouse gases that are reduced by the ability to use barging are one key factor," Goule said. "The impact it would have on the wheat industry would be so significantly negative, along with other impacts on rural America if they are successful in taking the Snake River dams out."

Goule said the mediation is "one more step," and the ultimate outcome is still a long way away "from a final decision in either direction."

"It is concerning that the White House has decided to get involved directly on this particular issue," he said. "I'm not really hearing about this at all in the House and the Senate...."

Congress would have the final say on the dams.

NAWG was guaranteed by Republicans when they held a minority in the House that the Water Resources Development Bill would not contain any type of dam breaching, especially on the Snake River dams, Goule said. He feels that a "very positive and strong hold" remains in Congress.

The final outcome is "not a finished game," Goule said.

"Having the White House perk up on this is going to continue to keep this in the forefront," he said. "We need to make sure we are continuing to be on the defense, so that we can protect not only the Snake River dams, but all dams."