Wardwell letter: Salmon and dams

It’s Groundhog Day. For the fifth time federal judges determined that federal government agencies failed to protect endangered wild salmon and steelhead from dams and high reservoir temperatures. The April 13 Statesman reported, “high temperatures in the Columbia, Snake and even Salmon Rivers killed all but a few dozen of Idaho’s 4,000 adult endangered sockeye.”

Judge Simon’s May ruling said, “It is doubtful the Action Agencies could demonstrate that breaching, bypassing, or removing one or more of the Snake River dams is not reasonable under NEPA.” Judge Simon would have been shocked there were no dam removal alternatives among dozens of slick “status quo” posters at Boise’s Scoping Open House meeting scam.

Removing dams to restore salmon and Idaho’s economy has been proven in Maine and Washington. Big government has prevented sustainable wild Idaho fish restoration.

Since the Corps categorized the lower Snake transportation as “negligible use” and potential energy loss has already been replaced more than five times by efficiency and conservation, removing these four dams in eastern Washington will give salmon the fighting chance to bounce back, saving taxpayers’ money. Idaho’s congressional delegation could pressure big government agencies to make Redfish Lake red again.

This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 11:53 PM with the headline "Wardwell letter: Salmon and dams."