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Commentaries and editorials

Snake River Dams Aren't Worth
Loss of Salmon Species

by Cynthia Jones
Everett Herald, June 26, 2022

These dams do not serve our energy needs as thoroughly as supporters would suggest;
generating their greatest output in early spring when other sources are doing the same.

A young resident killer whale chases a chinook salmon near Vancouver Island. (Photograph by John Durban/NOAA Washingtonians deserve better. The recent commentary by Marc Sullivan sheds light on the ongoing misinformation campaign by Northwest RiverPartners regarding hydropower on the lower Snake River ("Don't fall for TV ads' climate case for Snake dams,"The Herald, June 5).

For decades, scientists, tribes and others have been calling for the breaching of four dams on the lower Snake. These dams do not serve our energy needs as thoroughly as supporters would suggest; generating their greatest output in early spring when other sources are doing the same. Meanwhile, they're destroying salmon runs. Time is running out.

Salmon need a free-flowing river, and Washington needs a comprehensive energy transition plan to remove and replace the services of the four lower Snake River dams.

When our iconic species disappear, that damages the livelihoods of Indigenous communities, the fishing industry, and other species that depend on salmon, like critically endangered Southern Resident orcas.

Contact Sen. Patty Murray's office at 206-553-5545 and thank her for moving forward an initiative to address this issue. Call Sen. Maria Cantwell at 206-220-6400 and tell her that we need a comprehensive plan to remove the lower Snake River dams, replace their services and prevent salmon extinction.


Cynthia Jones, Edmonds
Snake River Dams Aren't Worth Loss of Salmon Species
Everett Herald, June 26, 2022

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