With the stroke of a pen, the future of the Snake River dams in southeastern Washington state is looking better. President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on June 12 repealing a secretly negotiated memorandum signed by President Joe Biden that was attempting to set the path for the possible breaching of the Snake River dams.
It is damn good to see the current President take a strong position to protect the vital clean energy and other important economic benefits provided by these dams. One of our top priorities at Mountain States Policy Center is for policymakers to oppose any breaching of the Snake River dams or efforts to reduce operational effectiveness.
According to President Trump's EO: "Among other things, the actions that the Biden Administration contemplated in furtherance of the policy stated in the Presidential Memorandum of September 27, 2023, included breaching four dams on the Lower Snake River, eliminating over 3,000 megawatts of secure, reliable, and affordable hydroelectric generating capacity. The negative impacts from these reckless acts, if completed, would be devastating for the region, and there would be no viable approach to replace the low-cost, baseload energy supplied; the critical shipping channels lost; the vital water supply for local farmers reduced; or the recreational opportunities that would no longer be possible as a result of these acts. To prevent these harmful impacts, I hereby revoke the Presidential Memorandum of September 27, 2023."
The president's actions drew strong praise from dam supporters.
The American Public Power Association said: "As the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities across the United States and five U.S. territories that serve over 55 million people, maintaining affordable and reliable hydropower is critical to APPA’s mission. Physical or operational breach of the four LSRD would run counter to these objectives by undermining essential, emissions-free, hydropower resources. Making full use of the Pacific Northwest’s hydropower resources is key to ensuring that its grid remains reliable and resilient and that utilities can respond to rising electricity demand and extreme weather events alike."
Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, explained: “President Trump’s announcement smartly helps preserve affordable, reliable electricity for families and businesses across the Pacific Northwest. Hydroelectric power is the reason the lights stay on in the region. And as demand for electricity surges across the nation, preserving access to always-available energy resources like hydropower is absolutely crucial.”
Todd Myers, Vice President of the Washington Policy Center, noted: "Dam opponents have consistently claimed that Snake River salmon are on the verge of extinction. They have been wrong consistently. Most recently, in 2021 dam opponents claimed that wild Spring Chinook on the Snake River would be 'functionally extinct' this year. In fact, returns this year are slightly above the 10-year average. Early estimates are that returns will be even higher next year."
In an era of moving towards more electrification and increasing power demand, it makes no sense to remove a clean, renewable power source. Hydropower is an important provider of reliable and clean energy for everyone in the Northwest. Many dams also provide important baseload power reliability to help a stressed energy grid during periods of extreme heat or cold.
The Snake River dams are critical to the infrastructure of our region, providing not only reliable power but also many other economic benefits. Removing these dams would have many negative impacts on our region.
The multi-year scientific and public review process in 2020 conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bonneville Power Administration, which was undertaken by both a Democrat and Republican administration, made one thing abundantly clear: dam breaching on the lower Snake River is completely unnecessary and unwarranted.
In addition, Congress authorized these dams, and only Congress has the power to remove them. Thankfully, many of the congressional members elected to the areas surrounding the Snake River dams are working to protect the economic and environmental benefits they provide.
The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation noted in a 2021 statement: “The lower four dams on the Snake River produce a significant amount of cheap and environmentally friendly hydroelectric power to the region and are a critical part of a system on the Columbia and Snake rivers that allows wheat farmers, as well as producers of many other commodities, to export their product to the world.”
Idaho Gov. Brad Little proclaimed in a July 2022 press release: “I have been clear in my opposition to dam breaching because it is not a silver bullet for salmon recovery. Idaho has shown leadership and commitment to bringing together diverse interests to ensure abundant, sustainable populations of salmon and steelhead for present and future generations.”
Protecting the Snake River dams and other federal water infrastructure is pivotal to the Northwest. It is good to see the President among the many supporters who understand we must remain dam strong for the benefit of our region.
Jason Mercier is Vice President and Director of Research of Mountain States Policy Center, an independent research organization based in Idaho, Montana, Eastern Washington and Wyoming. Online at mountainstatespolicy.org.
