Obama proposal considers dam breaching

In his first attempt at restoring dwindling salmon populations throughout the Columbia River Basin, President Barack Obama submitted a revised recovery plan to U.S. District Judge Joseph A. Redden on Sept. 15, reigniting one of the fiercest environmental debates in the Pacific Northwest.

The revised plan, called a “biological opinion,” leaves many of the Bush administration’s policies intact, but contains a contingency proposal that could lead to removing four dams on the Snake River if salmon populations “precipitously decline.”

Drawing criticism from both sides of the highly contested issue, Obama administration officials said the $10 billion plan was biologically and legally sound.

Farmers in the wheat fields of the Palouse and Republican congressmen in Washington D.C. expressed concerns about the economic impact dam removal would have on rural farmers who rely on the dams for irrigating their crops. Preliminary analyses conducted by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer suggest that removing the dams and the loss of barge traffic would have a combined cost of $100 million annually.

“Dam removal would have a disastrous impact on Eastern Washington,” Destry Henderson, a spokesperson for Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.), said. “Entire towns would become ghost towns.”

Built between 1962 and 1975 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the four dams (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite) provide hydroelectric power and make Lewiston an accessible seaport. The dams produce 1,136 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 5 percent of the region’s annual energy needs, according to a 2000 National Resources Defense Council report.

“The Snake River dams light our state with clean, green renewable energy and have been the lynchpin of our economy since they were first built,” McMorris-Rodgers said last Tuesday in a news release. “They’re carbon neutral, salmon-safe and critical to our state’s economy.”

Environmental advocates, including the Save Our Wild Salmon coalition, expressed disapproval at Obama’s plan because it does not take immediate action to explore dam breaching.

“This new plan is the very same plan proposed by the Bush administration,” Natalie Brandon, communications director for Save Our Wild Salmon, said. “They are working very hard trying to get by on the bare minimum.”

“People are very entrenched on this issue,” Brandon said, “but others would like to have a real discussion.”

Edward Weber, a professor of public policy at WSU, said the firestorm of debate is not just about the salmon population or the four dams on the Snake River.

"If you start taking the [the dams] out, some people think every district will lose their dams,” Weber added. “People do not want to open that door.”

“This issue will never be dead,” he said. “Environmentalists will not let it die.”

“Opening the door to dam removal even just a crack would incite dam removal extremists to keep fighting and divert time, attention and resources away from real solutions.” Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) said in a press release.

Charlie Keller, communications director for Hastings, said now that dam removal is back on the table, it looks like the Obama administration is trying to appease environmental extremists.

“The current recovery efforts are working,” Keller said. “Salmon numbers are at record highs.”

The series of dams on the Snake River are not the only obstacles faced by the fish during their migration. Though habitat loss and climate change have taken a toll on the native fish population, dam breaching remains the most controversial proposal for recovering the 13 steelhead and wild salmon runs protected by the Endangered Species Act.

“Salmon recovery is based on the four “H”s: hydroelectric, habitat loss, hatcheries and harvest,” Allyson Beall, an assistant professor of environmental science at WSU said.

It might come down to these four aspects and economics, Beall added.

She said the dams create a gauntlet for migrating fish, but dam removal poses its own challenges and a solution will only appear if people’s values shift.

Obama's biological opinion is not the only attempt at dam breaching currently being considered. Last month, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) proposed legislation for the fifth time that would expedite studies on dam removal.

Rep. McDermott could not be reached for comment.

Judge Redden will have the final say on the proposed plan. Redden rejected two previous plans in 2003 and 2005 that did not consider dam breaching. He is expected to rule sometime in the next few weeks.

Sources
Destry Henderson (Spokesperson for Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rogers): (202) 225-2006
Natalie Brandon, (Communications Director for Save Our Wild Salmon): (206) 286-4455
Charlie Keller (Communications Director for Rep. Doc Hastings):(202) 225-3251

Allyson Beall (Instructor Washington State University)
Office: Troy 209
Phone: (509)335-4037
E-mail: abeall@wsu.edu

Edward Weber (Professor Political Science) (Instructs Pol Sci 430 Environmental Public Policy)
(509) 335-2455

Outline:
1.Lead: Plan and reaction
2.Nut Graph: Describe plan and provide background
3. Describe conflicting views
4. Pro-dam view (either McMorris-Rodgers or Hastings)
-Henderson or Keller quotes
5. Anti-dam view (either McDermott's office or Save our Wild Salmon)
-Brandon quote
6. Economic impact and dam contrustion history maybe
7.Policy breakdown
-Weber quotes
-Beall quotes
8. Expected Redden decision