COLUMN: The Lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest
The Columbia River serves as the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest. In Central Washington, we realize the critical benefits provided by the hydroelectric dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers – from clean, affordable, renewable energy to flood control, irrigation, and transportation of our goods to port. The economic impact these dams have on our communities is nearly immeasurable.
Despite this, for the past few decades, our dams have come under attack by people who don't believe we are doing enough to protect the native fish species who play an integral role in the heritage of our state and our tribal neighbors. We absolutely must work to ensure these fish have the best chance of survival. I have advocated for increased research into salmon recovery and have urged my colleagues in Congress to look – not at just our dams in Central and Eastern Washington – but also at the health of the river system and fish habitat as a whole, including Puget Sound.
Last year, when Governor Inslee called for a state-funded study on breaching the dams on the lower Snake River, I called it a waste of taxpayer dollars. These dams are owned and operated by the federal government, and breaching them would take an act of Congress. At that time, I urged Governor Inslee and dam breaching advocates to wait for the ongoing comprehensive federal review of the dam system that scheduled to be released in early 2020.
Just last month, Oregon Governor Kate Brown sent a letter to Governor Inslee in support of breaching the dams. Not only do I believe this decision was misguided, but I believe Governor Brown is misinformed. She wrote that breaching the dams was the best way to improve salmon survival, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – the federal agency tasked with the recovery of Chinook salmon – quite directly refutes this claim. I invited Governor Brown to join me on a tour of Ice Harbor Dam on the lower Snake River to see firsthand the world-class fish passage and technology being deployed, such as the new "fish safe" turbine that has increased passage rates to over 98%. By researching the pathways of salmon through the dams and improving the turbine technology, we can continue to improve fish passage while maintaining the benefits we have come to rely on.
After three and a half years of scientific collaboration, the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Columbia River Operating Systems has been released. This draft EIS is a comprehensive review of the river system, including the federally owned and operated dam and reservoir projects in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. It is the result of scientific collaboration between the lead agencies – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bonneville Power Administration - as well as federal scientists, engineers, fish biologists, and stakeholders across the region.
This is a draft of the federal study I have been urging the state, private research firms, and other dam breaching advocates to wait for, and now it is open for public comment. We know how influential the river system is to our way of life in Central Washington, and I encourage you to make your voice heard.
Public comments can be submitted online, by mail, or at one of several public meetings hosted across the Pacific Northwest. The local meeting will take place on March 18 at the Kennewick Red Lion with doors opening at 4PM. You can read the draft EIS and find all of the information about how to comment at www.crso.info or on my website www.newhouse.house.gov.