In recent months, the future of the four Lower Snake River Dams has been cast into uncertainty. The Biden Administration’s Council on Environmental Quality and dam-breaching advocates have been involved in ongoing litigation against the Army Corps of Engineers, who control the operations of the dams, over the future of the dams. While they just secured a 60-day extension with the intent of achieving a “de facto” breach of the dams by opening the gates to reduce the water below the minimum operating levels for hydroelectric generation, they continue to ignore the stakeholders who will be most affected by their decision.
The significance of the Snake River Dams cannot be overstated. They serve as the foundation for an array of essential functions that are integral to our communities and power our homes and businesses with clean, renewable, safe, and affordable energy. Over the summer, I hosted the House Committee on Natural Resources for a field hearing in Richland where we heard from multiple industries and stakeholders on the importance and benefits of the four Lower Snake River Dams to our river communities, electric power cooperatives, the economy, and the environment. Above all, one thing was made abundantly clear to my Congressional colleagues: these dams must stay.
The lack of transparency and public input throughout this entire process has been deeply concerning. Dam-breaching advocates are continuing their process without public hearings or input from the communities who would be directly impacted by their decision and instead are working to advance their predetermined outcome. The mediation process has failed to allow meaningful input, while the organizations that represent millions of customers, farmers, and transportation and export sectors in the Pacific Northwest are being ignored. This is unacceptable.
The truth is, Congress alone has the authority to change how these federally mandated dams operate. The extreme environmentalists claim to have a shared goal of “a durable long-term strategy” while completely disregarding the true impacts on our region. To bypass this process is not only unjust but undermines the principles of our democratic system.
This month, I sent a letter reiterating these facts to the Council Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory. I emphasized any mediation agreement which ignores other impacts to salmon and fails to protect navigation, irrigation, and power generation are political rather than scientific. My congressional colleagues and I invited Chair Mallory to speak at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing this month regarding their process. Unfortunately, she refused to even show up to answer our questions. This lack of attendance is sadly reflective of the Biden Administration’s overall behavior throughout this entire process. How, then, are we supposed to believe this is a transparent process?
I strongly implore the Biden Administration and dam-breaching advocates to engage with all the key stakeholders who will be affected by their decision, rather than solely focusing on the plaintiffs in this case, to ensure a more productive, inclusive, and transparent mediation process.
The Lower Snake River Dams are not only a source of energy, but the lifeblood of our region and the Pacific Northwest. We must reject any efforts to breach these vital structures without due process and Congressional oversight. Let us stand together in defense of our communities, our economy, and our environment, ensuring that these dams continue to serve our communities for generations to come.
