This is Why Breaching The Lower Snake River Dams Is An Opportunity, Not a Threat
For decades, the debate over the four Lower Snake River dams has been framed as an either-or proposition - keep the dams to preserve their services like hydropower, navigation, and irrigation, or remove them to restore endangered wild salmon runs. But a comprehensive draft report commissioned by Washington's leaders reveals that this zero-sum mentality is outdated and misguided.
By bringing all stakeholders together in a true coalition, the potential opportunities unlocked by breaching these dams can benefit all parties.
Quantifying the Costs and Benefits
The draft report, requested by Governor Jay Inslee and Senator Patty Murray, quantifies the costs of breaching the Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams at between $10.3 billion and $27.2 billion to replace their services. However, the same report also acknowledges that breaching "would significantly improve the ability of salmon and steelhead" to recover, as cited by state fish and wildlife agencies.
Further many dam breaching proponents, and even some pro-dammers acknowledge that the cost to bring breaching the dams is not that steep. Most of the services are already available, we don’t need to replace energies before we begin breaching, but only through-out the breaching process and following the breach. There is no need to remove the dams, just taking down the berm will provide all the environmental benefits needed.
An Ecological and Economic Imperative
This salmon recovery benefit is not just an environmental aim - it represents an economic revamp for the entire region. The 2020 Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement found dam breaching offered "the highest predicted potential" for increasing imperiled Snake River salmon and steelhead returns. Robust salmon runs could revitalize the $1 billion+ annual recreational fishing and tourism economy decimated by their decline.
Moreover, the draft report confirms that the services provided by the dams "can be replaced - and improved" through strategic investments in replacement infrastructure like renewable energy sources, upgraded rail/road transport and modernized irrigation systems.
The Dire Need for Wild Salmon
The urgency to restore wild salmon populations cannot be overstated. Years of dam operations have brought these iconic fish to the brink, violating tribal treaty rights and pushing endangered orcas closer to extinction by depriving them of their primary food source.
Scientists warn that without bold actions like dam breaching, we risk permanently losing the genetic diversity and resilience of these irreplaceable wild salmon runs that have survived for millennia. This would unravel the entire ecosystem they support and define the Pacific Northwest, impacting over 130 species in the region! This means fewer birds, less game, and even fewer forested areas.
Building a Balanced Coalition
By bringing together the coalition of tribes, energy companies, agricultural groups, shippers, and others who rely on the dams' current services, we can chart a balanced path forward to prevent this ecological and cultural tragedy.
A path where tribes regain their sovereign rights to sustainable salmon harvests, boosting cultural and economic revival. Where energy providers transition to cheaper, renewable wind and solar power. Where farmers maintain irrigation through groundwater systems. Where shippers and commodity transporters utilize more cost-effective rail and trucking routes. All benefiting from a revitalized, free-flowing river system.
The Time is Now
To get there, we must move beyond the years of litigation and zero-sum thinking. We must build a diverse coalition of federal agencies, state governments, tribal nations, energy providers, agricultural organizations, shippers, farmers, fishermen, local recreational businesses, and environmental advocates to negotiate durable solutions for all. As the National Wildlife Federation stated, the draft report shows "we have a chance to get this right for future generations."
The numbers have been crunched, the science has been studied - we know what's possible. It's time to recognize the tremendous opportunities that can arise from breaching the Lower Snake River dams through an inclusive, collaborative coalition effort. The path forward is right here if we want to walk it together.
