Inslee/Murray Report: Breach The Dams, Just Not Right Now

(Olympia, WA) -- It says the status quo is not an option, but breaching the dams is not something that can happen right away either. A joint report from Governor Inslee and Senator Patty Murray says the until the energy and economic benefits of the dams are replaced or mitigated, breaching is not a feasible or responsible option. It does add breaching these specific dams offers the greatest benefit to saving the salmon. Several, including Congressman Dan Newhouse blasted the report saying there is no reasonable replacement for the Lower Snake River Dams.

The Report Summary:

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee released the findings and recommendations of the months-long Joint Federal-State Process that evaluated the feasibility of breaching the Lower Snake River Dams as a way of protecting endangered salmon and steelhead species. The recommendations emphasize that breaching of the Lower Snake River Dams is only feasible after state and federal officials have replaced or mitigated the benefits of the dams

The senator and governor’s recommendations include three key themes:

Status quo is not an option. Changing economic, energy and climate conditions require leaders to plan for changing circumstances in the Columbia Basin region during the coming decades.
Saving salmon and other iconic species in the Columbia Basin is imperative. The scientific review affirms that breaching these specific dams offers the greatest benefit to the salmon.
The impacts and benefits of breaching the dams are significant, but they can and must be mitigated or replaced. Until the energy and economic benefits of the dams

Congressman Dan Newhouse Responds:

“Governor Inslee and Senator Murray are trying to have their cake and eat it too with their recommendation released this afternoon calling for a plan to replace the benefits of the Lower Snake River Dams to enable breaching to move forward. This report outlines what Central Washington has known all along: there is no reasonable replacement for the Lower Snake River Dams.

The fact of the matter is, even if they were able to replace the 66% of the state’s energy which is currently provided by the clean, renewable, and affordable hydroelectric dams, the loss of the dams would still devastate our communities: prices would rise, crops would perish, jobs would be eliminated, and the environment would be threatened. Not to mention, we have the science to prove these dams are not threatening our salmon population—a population that is already seeing record levels of recovery with the dams in place."

Source: Inslee/Murray Report: Breach The Dams, Just Not Right Now

Filed Under: governor jay inslee, Lower Snake River Dams, Senator Patti Murray