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Don't Sacrifice Salmon for Dams by Chris Pinney Walla Walla Union Bulletin, June 7, 2025

I spent 28 years working for the Army Corps Walla Walla District on dams, so I know firsthand how important the river is to our economy and our identity. But I also know when something's not working anymore -- and these Lower Snake River dams aren't working.

The legislation recently proposed by Risch-Newhouse, and co-sponsored by Rep. Baumgartner, is an insult to those of us who've lived and worked here for decades. They want to permanently block lower Snake dam removal, ignoring decades of science, local voices, and especially the Tribes who've been fighting to save salmon long before there were dams.

I'm retired now, but I still want a future for the next generation. I want them to see salmon in the rivers, not just in textbooks. I want them to inherit a region that chose to adapt, not double down on a failing system out of pride.

I urge Rep. Baumgartner to see the economic opportunities dam removal brings: clean energy jobs, restored fishing industries, investments in transportation and irrigation, and respect for Tribal sovereignty.

The Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative is the right path forward. The Risch-Newhouse bill blocks progress.

Let's not be the generation that let salmon go extinct.