Northwest River Partners on June 17, 2008 said that renewed efforts by environmental groups to prolong litigation over federal and tribal plans for salmon recovery in the Columbia and Snake Rivers demonstrate a failure to look beyond their narrow interest of dam removal at a time of worldwide concern over climate change.
In commenting on the new complaint, Terry Flores, executive director of Northwest RiverParners said, “once again the litigants are rejecting fair- reaching science-based benefits for salmon in the Columbia-Snake River system.”
Flores said, “Unfortunately, this continuing campaign to remove the dams has diverted significant time and resources from further salmon recovery efforts that our region has agreed to implement.”
The federal government recently issued a new salmon plan, developed in collaborate with the tribes, the Northwest states—except for Oregon—and other stakeholders. The plan proposes spending over $8 billion—paid by the regions electricity consume over the next 10 years to provide a path for recovery of listed salmon and steelhead.
“This plan addresses all of the issues Judge Jim Redden has raised in the courtroom. It includes an unprecedented, rigorous science analyses, has strong support in the region and major funding commitments,” Flores said.
The litigants appear to be the only ones not looking out for the fish with their single-minded focus on dam removal,” Flores said. “ In the midst of the world seeking remedies for climate change, they persist in demanding removal of the lower Snake Rivers dams, a renewable source of clean electric power.”
The four lower Snake River dams produce more than 1,020 megawatts of renewable, carbon free energy that can meet the electricity needs of a city the size of Seattle
An analysis by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council has found that the most likely replacement resource for the proposed loss of the renewable hydropower would be gas-fired combustion turbines that would cause the release of 5.4 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.
“It makes no sense to remove renewable, non-polluting power generation from the Snake River and replace it with fossil-fired power plants that accelerate global climate change, Flores said,
The members of Northwest RiverPartners support science-based, accountable improvements in salmon recovery and protection of other benefits of the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
