the film forum library tutorial contact

Power Will Have to be Replaced by Stacy Carroll Wood River Journal - November 17, 1999

BOISE -- Dam braching advocates talk about the small amount of Idaho's power that comes from the four lower Snake dams. The fact is that those four dams can light a city the size of Seattle. Idaho may not get much electricity specifically from those dams, but somebody does. That generating capacity will have to be replaced, most likely with thermally-generated power and its associated air pollution.

It's not only selfish to argue that, since the power goes somewhere else, we don't need those dams. It's foolish. The dams are in Washington State, which can outvote Idaho four or five times over and isn't likely to want more thermal generation within its boundaries to replace lost hydropower.

Making breaching the only issue takes time, money and attention away from ideas and technology which might actually save our salmon and steelhead runs. Let's stop debating something that can't happen and start looking for realistic answers.