Powerful dams provide a great deal of hydro-electric power to many residents, farmers, and businesses. Why would anyone want to remove them?
Washington's "green" Governor, Jay Inslee (D) has fully endorsed the breaching of the Snake River dam. A report issued from his office in 2022 provides the justification.
Inslee and Senator Patty Murry (D) began the process of reviewing the possibility of breaching four dams to better protect the salmon who migrate along the Snake River. Although fish "ladders" have been added to assist the salmon in climbing up the dams, the salmon population continues to decline, the report states.
"The potential for improvements to West Coast salmon populations is one of the main factors prompting interest in breaching the LSRD," the report says.
According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) breaching the dams would help the salmon significantly.
Dam replacement will be costly, and harmful, the Association of Washington Business (AWB) reported as the proposal became known in 2022. The dams provide energy, barge transportation, irrigation, and even tourism.
Without the ability to traverse through the dams, agricultural products will have a much more difficult time getting to a point of sale. Replacing this method of transportation would involve railroads, roads, and dredging. The cost is estimated at $1.3 billion.
Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, told AWB that wheat farmers would bear a big burden if the dams were breached.
"Washington state feeds the world," Hennings said. "Ninety percent of our wheat is exported overseas," she says. High costs and undependable transportation channels would place global trade relationships at risk.
"The Snake River dams are crucial for the residents of eastern Washington," Benton PUD candidate, Mike Massey, said. "I understand some people are concerned about the salmon, but they need to look at solutions other than destroying our dams."
The agricultural community will be adversely affected by the breaching of the dams and many of them have spoken up and written opinions to the state.
"With long-term experience in the agricultural industry, I know the importance of these dams," Massey said. "The state says they are working collaboratively, but I don’t see that. They need to listen to the farmers and those of us who know about agriculture in Washington state. Maybe the Democrats running the state should start caring as much about farmers as they do the salmon."
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