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Congressional subcommittee to hold hearing on plan to remove Lower Snake River dams

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Congressional subcommittee to hold hearing on plan to remove Lower Snake River dams
FILE - The Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax, Wash., onMay 15, 2019. In the clearest sign yet that the U.S. will consider breaching four controversial dams on the Snake River to help salmon, a leaked administration document says the government is prepared to help build clean energy projects that would replace the power currently generated by the dams. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, & Grid Security is holding a hearing Jan. 30, “Exposing President Biden’s Plan to Dismantle the Snake River Dams and the Negative Impacts to the U.S.”

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) announced the hearing, saying: “The Columbia River System and the Lower Snake River dams are the beating heart of the Pacific Northwest, yet that hasn’t stopped the Biden administration from apparently colluding with special interest groups to lay the groundwork to remove them. We are deeply disturbed by the blatant disregard for the enormous hydropower, irrigation, and navigation benefits these dams provide, as well as a willingness to ignore the voices of those who depend on the dams the most. It’s past time for full transparency from the Biden administration. This hearing will provide an opportunity to expose how its plans will destroy people’s lives in Eastern Washington.”

Confirmed witnesses will be representative of the following government agencies: Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Department of Energy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Bonneville Power Administration. A representative of the Army has also been invited to testify. In addition to the panel of government witnesses, there will be a second panel with stakeholders.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates four run-of-river dams and locks on the lower Snake River in Washington that together provide 1,000 average MW of capacity and up to 3,033 MW of capacity at their peak. The dams, constructed between 1955 and 1961, are Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite. Construction and operation of the dams altered the physical, chemical, hydrological and biological processes in the river, and all species of salmon that use the Snake River are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. With salmon being “central to culture and wellbeing in tribal nations throughout the Pacific Northwest,” there have been discussions about breaching the dams.