WASHINGTON, DC – The Biden Administration today announced its commitment to partner with Six Sovereigns on actions that address the urgency of the salmon populations, climate, and Tribal justice crises facing the Columbia River Basin. In addition to the Nez Perce Tribe, those involved are the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Nation, the State of Oregon, and the State of Washington.
Under the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, stakeholders are tasked with developing and implementing plans to restore Columbia River Basin salmon, steelhead, and other native fish populations to healthy levels, honor Federal commitments to Tribal Nations, deliver reliable and affordable clean power, and meet the resilience needs of stakeholders across the region.
The plan could include breaching the Lower Snake River dams because the initiative builds on the foundation that Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and U.S. Senator Patty Murray put forth in their recommendations on Columbia River salmon recovery in August 2022, after a year‐long process compiling existing information and soliciting input from communities, Tribes, and stakeholders across the Northwest.
Concerning the Lower Snake River dams, they recommended that the dams’ services would need to be replaced or mitigated before any breach should occur. They further recommended that the Federal and state governments should initiate a program to replace the services of the dams and develop additional information on the dams and the services they provide to enable Congress to consider dam breaching in the future.
“Consistent with the Inslee-Murray recommendations, we must act now to invest in replacing the dams’ benefits in order to make breaching a viable policy action,” the Initiative says. “These investments can best ensure a future that includes healthy and abundant salmon and steelhead, reliable and affordable energy systems, a robust economy, and valuable ecosystem services throughout the Columbia River Basin.”
Among the proposed ideas are:
- investing in the Lewiston-Clarkston waterfront restoration as part of the breaching process, as well as general economic development funds for the Lewiston-Clarkston and Tri-Cities areas;
- providing federal funding for recreation management, tourism promotion, a sportfishing contingency fund during the restoration process, relocation and/or compensation for existing marinas, and compensation for owners of motorboats designed for use on lakes and reservoirs;
- upgrading rail infrastructure, upgrading grain storage and loading facilities, improving state and local roadways, ensuring shipping costs remain competitive, compensating for economic losses, and addressing/minimizing transportation emissions;
- developing and refining a plan outlining specific steps necessary to replace the dams’ average energy output as well as peaking capacity, protect grid resiliency and transmission services, and protect ratepayers by maintaining affordable rates
U.S. Senator Jim Risch, following the release of the Biden administration’s Columbia River Basin announcement, doubled down in his opposition to dam breaching and reiterated that it is solely Congress that could remove the federal dams in the Columbia-Snake River System.
“Congress—and Congress alone—can authorize removal of the dams on the lower Snake River. Bureaucrats, activist litigation, nor this administration’s radical agenda will determine the fate of any of the Northwest’s federal dams,” Risch says. “This litigation effort was useless: It occurred behind closed doors, between two parties who wanted the same end result—to tear out our dams, and it completely excluded Idahoans who rely on the River System for its energy, transportation, agriculture, and recreation benefits. I will continue to fight any breaching efforts, and, at every turn, I will reject the Biden administration’s efforts to usurp Congressional authority.”
Risch says the four hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River provide multiple benefits to Idaho and the region, including:
- Transportation of more than 15 million metric tons of wheat in 2020 with nearly 10% of all U.S. wheat moving out on the Snake River alone;
- $686 million in jobs and businesses associated with Idaho’s Port of Lewiston, the furthest inland port on the West Coast;
- A 95% emission-free power portfolio generated by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), allowing small public utilities across the Northwest to lead in clean energy production;
- Clean, always-on energy that can uniquely keep the lights on during extreme weather events where relying on wind and solar would cause blackouts; and
- Irrigation.
Following four years of comprehensive scientific study of the Columbia River System Operations, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bonneville Power Administration released a record of decision in September 2020 affirming the four dams’ importance to the region.
