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Dam Spill Changes by Bob Larson AgInfo.net, April 9, 2018

I'm Bob Larson. U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse is throwing his legislative muscle behind a bipartisan bill to protect eight federal dams along the Snake and Columbia rivers. He says the bill would hold water and dam usage to current standards held up by solid scientific evidence ...

NEWHOUSE ... "The current Columbia River power system biological opinion is the result of years of collaborative work. That work was conducted between President Barrack Obama's administration, between Washington and other Pacific Northwest states, between sovereign Indian tribes of the northwest and other local stakeholders with direct knowledge and expertise in mitigation and recovery efforts."

But, Newhouse says the fix would only be temporary ...

NEWHOUSE ... "Our legislation would ensure that the current biological opinion remains in effect until 2022. And, that means that our dams would be kept safe from breaching."

Newhouse says he's hearing from others behind the bill that it could potentially move to a floor vote before the end of the month ...

NEWHOUSE ... "I firmly believe that fish and dams can and do coexist and I am steadfast in my resolve to save our dams and I'm committed to standing up for our rural communities."

Newhouse says the court ordered spill increase that went into effect last week actually hurts fish migration and will cost ratepayers a $40-million-dollar hike in power rates this year alone.

The congressman calls on all Washingtonians to call in their support for HR 3144, which he claims balances economic prosperity and environmental stewardship.