Rep. Simpson’s “Concept” to Breach the Lower Snake River Dams Would Undermine the Very Wild Salmon and Steelhead it Aims to Protect and Recover
Idaho Representative Mike Simpson has proposed a legislative concept to breach the four Lower Snake River dams, in exchange for, among other things, suspending the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and FERC licensing for dams and agriculture across the vast Columbia River basin for 25‒35 years.
We stand ready to work with those who recognize the need to remove the lower four Snake River dams and address related impacts of breaching these dams. However, we cannot support a proposal that sacrifices environmental laws, sacrifices the human health and species protections provided by those laws, spends billions without accountability, and will likely accelerate the extinction of wild salmon and steelhead runs and other species across the Columbia Basin.
Wild Fish Conservancy has joined with a coalition of organizations who share concerns over the environmental and health hazards these risky compromises pose to the future of our wild salmon, water quality, and communities throughout the Columbia River basin.
Read the joint statement supported by a diverse group of environmental and public health advocates.