McMorris Rodgers, other representatives reaffirm their support for state dams
February 11, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Fifth District, opposes a recent proposal to establish a Columbia Basin Fund and breach the Lower Snake River Dams:
"Proposals that include breaching the Lower Snake River Dams in the name of protecting salmon populations are flawed and fail to account for the sweeping impacts that would be felt across the region. With greater than 95 percent passage, these dams are not the greatest threat to fish survival. Our oceans are, coupled with predation and habitat loss," she stated.
"We need to focus on solutions that will get results, like cleaning up Puget Sound and restoring salmon runs there," said McMorris Rodgers. "These dams are the beating heart of Eastern Washington and provide the entire Pacific Northwest with clean, renewable, reliable, and affordable energy. Spending more than $33 billion to breach them - with no guarantee that doing so will restore salmon populations - is a drastic, fiscally irresponsible leap to take."
She said she looks forward to discussing with Congress the importance of the Lower Snake River Dams and possible solutions to benefit all users of the Columbia River system.
McMorris Rodgers was joined by Representatives Dan Newhouse, R-Fourth Dist, Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Third Dist., and Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho's First Dist., in reaffirming their support for hydropower.
In a resolution, the representatives expressed hydropower is an essential source of energy in the United States, which should be protected and increased substantially.
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