WAITSBURG… As ordered by President Donald Trump in mid-June, efforts to revisit the plan for operating the four lower Snake River dams have now been halted. This week the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation withdrew their intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement, effectively ending any federal-agency conversation that could lead to breaching the dams.
Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg, serves Washington’s 16th Legislative District, which includes approximately 60 nautical miles of the Snake between Lyons Ferry and its confluence with the Columbia River at Burbank – and two of the federal dams. He reacted to the latest sign of support for the dams with this statement:
“President Trump’s executive order leads off with what the dams mean for energy affordability and generating capacity, but it then goes on to recognize the other benefits they provide, from shipping channels and irrigation water for agriculture to recreational opportunities. I appreciate that his administration sees the big picture – and would simply go a step farther by pointing out how the ability to move commodities by barge doesn’t just save a lot of wear and tear on our roads, it also reduces carbon emissions.
“As for salmon, the combination of the executive order and the follow-through from the lead federal agencies puts us where we were when the environmental impact statement for the Columbia River system became final in 2020, during the first Trump administration. It found ‘man and nature can exist in productive harmony,’ meaning no one has to choose between dams and salmon – we can have both.
“With dam breaching off the table, I’d like to see the majority Democrats in our Legislature join our side of the aisle to do what we can to address the real threats to the Snake River salmon runs, like the predation in the lower Columbia by birds and marine mammals. It’s also frustrating that the majority didn’t do more to support the bills I proposed this year to promote the success of long-term salmon recovery efforts, encourage more salmon recovery projects and review our state’s riparian programs.
“Unfortunately, our Democratic colleagues may still be catching up with the idea that the dams are here to stay. Instead of working with me on habitat improvements, they’re continuing to pour millions of taxpayer dollars into a study of what would happen with the hauling of freight and goods if the dams were breached. I can answer that right now: More traffic congestion, more road repairs and more carbon into the air. We should pull the plug on that study and put those dollars toward real priorities.”
In addition to his leadership on salmon-friendly legislation, Dozier’s experience on salmon issues includes work on the Walla Walla 2050 Plan, eight years on the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board and eight years on the Walla Walla Watershed Partnership Board.