Newhouse demands answers on Biden Administration efforts to breach Lower Snake River Dams

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and members of the Pacific Northwest delegation called out the Biden Administration in a series of letters for its lack of transparency and political intervention in its efforts to breach the Lower Snake River Dams.

The letters comes just weeks after the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released a draft report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommending at least one Lower Snake River dam be breached in order to recover endangered salmon, as well as an analysis commissioned by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) outlining the scenarios under which the power benefits of the four dams could be replaced.  

“We write to express our deep concern about recent actions taken by this administration which have demonstrated a seeming disregard for scientific integrity. Specifically, we were appalled by the lack of transparency and obvious political intervention in processes regarding the recent release of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) draft “report” relating to the Columbia River Basin,” wrote the lawmakers. “Even more alarming, we have received further indication of political maneuvering by this administration to prevent information on the costs of replacing the power generated by the Lower Snake River dams on the Federal Columbia River Power System from being made public prior to the release of the previously mentioned NOAA draft ‘report.’ 

They continued, “The infrastructure on the Columbia River System provides invaluable benefits to the Pacific Northwest, including carbon-free energy, flood control mitigation, irrigation, navigation, and recreation benefits. Balancing these vital interests with species conservation is not an easy task. It is made significantly more difficult when science and collaboration is replaced by politically-motivated intervention.

The lawmakers concluded, “The recent actions by this administration have sown complete distrust in this administration’s ability to lead with facts, science, and transparency regarding the Columbia River System. These actions will undoubtedly have long-term and damaging effects on this administration’s ability to bring diverse stakeholders together to chart a path forward on species recovery and preservation of the vital benefits of the Columbia River System.”

Signers of the letters to CEQ, NOAA, BPA, and the Department of Energy (DOE) include Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Steve Daines (R-MT), and Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), and Cliff Bentz (R-OR).