Todd Myers says this doesn’t settle the issue, but it certainly is a step in the right direction for the region’s economy, energy and salmon

Todd Myers
Washington Policy Center

President Trump today signed a memorandum to protect the four lower Snake River dams by rescinding Biden Administration policies that put the dams on a path to being destroyed, which would have cost tens of billions of dollars and eliminated a reliable source of electricity the state will need to meet rapidly increasing demand.

Titled, “President Donald J. Trump Stops the Green Agenda in the Columbia River Basin,” the fact sheet on the memorandum notes that destruction of the dams “would have eliminated over 3,000 megawatts of secure and reliable hydroelectric generating capacity—which is enough generation to power 2.5 million American homes.”

This is very good news not just for Washington’s economy and energy, but also for salmon. The memorandum is consistent with the science-based conclusions of the largest-ever environmental analysis released in 2020 by the federal scientific agencies that recommended keeping the dams in place.

In 2022, political appointees at NOAA released a report calling for “restoration of the lower Snake River through dam breaching.” That document was not a scientific report. The very first words of the report are, “The Biden-Harris Administration,” making it clear that this was a political, not scientific, document. Indeed, the report made it clear that “This report does not constitute a regulatory or policy requirement and does not supersede or modify existing analyses in ESA recovery plans, viability assessments, 5-year reviews, or ESA consultation documents,” and it did not claim to examine the cost or impacts of destroying the dams.

That report paved the way for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was secretly negotiated by the Biden Administration with dam opponents. The MOU required studies on the impact of destroying the dams, policies that would increase the cost of electricity and reduce generation from the dams. It specifically called for the ultimate removal of the dams.

Dam opponents have consistently claimed that Snake River salmon are on the verge of extinction. They have been wrong consistently.

Most recently, in 2021 dam opponents claimed that wild Spring Chinook on the Snake River would be “functionally extinct” this year. In fact, returns this year are slightly above the 10-year average. Early estimates are that returns will be even higher next year.

Part of that MOU was an agreement to pause litigation related to the dams. With the removal of the MOU, environmental groups and others who have been attempting to destroy the dams are likely to resume their lawsuits.

There is still much to do to recover salmon on the Snake and across the Northwest. Rather than being fixated on the Snake River dams and hoping that their removal will be a silver bullet, Washington state and the federal government can do many things to help salmon recover. I wrote about some of these options and how Washington can get back on track with salmon recovery.

Thanks to the president and also to Congressman Dan Newhouse for his tireless efforts on this issue. This doesn’t settle the issue, but it certainly is a step in the right direction for the region’s economy, energy and salmon.

Todd Myers is a senior vice president for research at the Washington Policy Center. 

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