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Northwest Dams are Essential for Area Growers by Glenn Vaagen News Talk Kit, May 22, 2025

For a variety of reasons, there are multiple politicians, groups, and organizations that say they want the dams on the Snake River removed. Casey Chumrau, CEO of the Washington Grain Commission said many outside of agriculture don't appreciate what those dams do, and provide for farmers across the Northwest and beyond. She said over 60% of all of Washington's wheat is barged down the Columbia and the Snake River to the export terminals in the Portland area.

"That really helps us 1.) Stay competitive because it keeps our prices lower. It's a much more cost-effective mode of transportation. It's also very reliable in terms of when it can be delivered. They're not as worried as much about the weather, or train delays or those kinds of things. And so, it really helps us deliver the product to our customers when they expect it."

And Chumrau stressed on-time delivery is a promise from U.S. producers to customers, a promise that must be maintained so markets around the world know the Pacific Northwest is dependable. She added the dams also provide an affordable way to transport inputs, from fertilizer, to machinery and much more upriver.

The Dams Are Providing Essential Services

Chumrau noted everyone, farmers included, wants to be good stewards of the river and see fish populations restored. But she said all environmental impacts must be considered when looking at the Snake River dams.

"The dams are already there, they are providing essential services in irrigation, power, navigation, and we would very much like to see a kind of recognition of the improvements that have been done over the years and what infrastructure is already in place allowing a lot of that restoration and environmental considerations to advance."