Founded in 1993, Sightline Institute is committed to making the Northwest a global model of sustainability, with strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment. Sightline Institute's work is made possible by the generosity of people like you! replace part, but not all, of the energy from the dams. Courts, states, and US federal agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation have used these techniques to assess changes in non-use values including for the. Five species of Snake River salmon are now threatened or endangered. And yet for all this spending, salmon runs continue to decline. 7 percent of Washington’s electricity generation, more than all wind and solar today than two decades ago. In the third piece, I address the impact of breaching the dams on agriculture and what it would cost to hold farmers harmless from the changes. This study fails to recognize that salmon numbers have been falling in Alaska where there are no dams. Note: Daniel Malarkey served as a consultant to ECONorthwest for its study of the lower Snake River dams. A federal judge ordered Bonneville to make a plan to address declining salmon populations in the Columbia River system and to include removal of the Snake River dams as one measure for consideration. The But how could ECONW reflect this widely held but intangible value in dollars and cents? We asked University of Washington scientist Deborah Giles, Since the Act’s passage in 1980, Bonneville has spent $16.4 billion on its fish and wildlife program, including $450 million in 2017 for measures including barging juvenile fish around dams, spilling water over the dams to help salmon make the trip downriver, and capital improvements to steer fish away from the dams’ turbines. first off read where salmon come from .there a ocean fish that moves up to fresh water and adaps. Again, scientists disagree. Fishers and tribal members in Eastern Washington and Idaho would thrill to see increased salmon runs on the Snake River while Seattleites concerned with climate change fear giving up a gigawatt of carbon-free electricity. To me, this points to the reality that these four run-of-the-river dams, easy targets as they are, have been mislabeled as problems when in fact the actual unsung “villains” of this story are our major electricity producing Bonneville and Dalles dams. No doubt other measures in other locations might provide more bang for the buck. Salmon, most Northwesterners believe, are more than just fish. Essentially, Courts, states, and US federal agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation have used these techniques to assess changes in non-use values including for the environmental assessments of removing of the Klamath River dams in 2012. SEATTLE -- Dozens of scientists are urging lawmakers to breach four dams along Eastern Washington's Snake River, declaring salmon are at risk of going extinct if they don't. Todd Myers is a member of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council and environmental director for the Washington Policy Center, which has offices in the Tri-Cities, Spokane, Seattle and Olympia. In this 2019 photo, the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax. Fisheries scientists disagree. those arguing we need to destroy the Snake River dams suggest we do both. They also admit it would About Site | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions, Snake River dam removal distracts from salmon recovery efforts, 8524 W. Gage Blvd., #A1-300 Kennewick, WA 99336. But the Corps has not kept up with the times. destroying the dams. that give Redfish Lake in Idaho its name had made the return journey. Our editors reserve the right to monitor inappropriate comments and personal attacks. 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