Gov. Inslee and Sen. Murray Release Lower Snake River Dams Report

Lower Monumental Dam
Photo Credit: Bonneville Power Administration

In October 2021 Governor Jay Inslee and Senator Patty Murray announced a joint federal-state process to develop and deliver a comprehensive solution to protect and recover Lower Snake River salmon and invest in the region’s communities. This report is a significant step toward leading the largest salmon recovery in history—as well as delivering justice to Native Nations and jobs to communities—by removing four dams on the Lower Snake River and replacing the services they provide. Learn more here about this important issue.

Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee have committed to complete their report by the end of July 2022 and they recently released a draft report outlining their findings that is open to public comment until July 11. The study analyzed replacing the services currently provided by the four Lower Snake River dams and found that the dams’ services – energy, irrigation, and barge transportation – can be fully, feasibly, and affordably replaced with reliable, cost-effective alternatives. See more about the report process here.

Most importantly, the report addresses how the loss of salmon is a historic and ongoing injustice to Northwest Tribes who were promised the right to fish forever. They found that “breaching the LSRD could increase tribal harvest by 29% annually and would have the highest likelihood of removing salmon from Endangered Species Act listing and maintaining treaty and trust obligations compared to other alternatives.” The report also states that a free-flowing Lower Snake River would “allow tribal peoples to renew their close religious and spiritual connection with approximately 34,000 acres of land where their ancestors lived and are buried and allow them to properly care for their grave sites. They could return to more than 700 locations where they were accustomed to live, fish, and hunt, harvest plants, roots and berries, conduct cultural and religious ceremonies, and pursue other aspects of their normal traditional lives.” (Both references from draft report page 3)

As people of faith, we bring a unique moral message to this conversation around the future of the Lower Snake River. Here are the key messages that the Earth Ministry/WAIPL community is conveying:

Salmon recovery is not just a biological necessity or legal obligation but a moral responsibility
Restoring a free-flowing Lower Snake River is crucial if we are to strive toward right relationship with Native neighbors and respond to our call to care for our common home.
The loss of salmon is an injustice
These dams have been driving salmon towards extinction for decades, violating the rights of Indigenous people in the Northwest who were promised abundant salmon by the United States through treaties and other binding commitments. The report shows that a free-flowing Lower Snake River would begin to restore spiritual and cultural benefits to Northwest Native Nations.
The ethical and financial costs of inaction are high
The media is focusing on the estimated cost of dam removal costing $10.3-27.2 billion. What is receiving less attention is that that cost is spread over 50 years and Northwest electric consumers have already paid $24 billion in the last 40 years (adjusted to 2022 dollars) on restoration that has not recovered one imperiled fish population. We are calling out the multi-layered cost of inaction by asking that the final report include a high-level cost analysis of a status quo scenario that includes dam maintenance and fish recovery efforts.
We need holistic solutions for communities and creation
We are centering the need of our neighbors, with justice for Native Nations at the forefront, by calling for solutions that will restore salmon facing extinction AND bring everyone forward together. We want to see a comprehensive plan this year that protects salmon from extinction, honors the federal government’s treaties and commitments to tribes, equitably meets the region’s energy and agricultural needs, and invests in a more reliable, clean, and just electric power system.

We thank Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee and their team for their leadership. Now, we need our Northwest congressional leaders and the Biden administration to support the Murray-Inslee plan and work with Tribes, industry, and communities to take action in 2022 to prevent extinction while meeting our energy and agriculture needs. Please join in taking action to comment on this draft report before July 11. Anyone across the country can weigh in!