Northwest RiverPartners
Commends Thorough & Holistic EIS Process; Advocates Greater Efforts Around
Climate To Support Salmon Recovery
(VANCOUVER, WA) -- Northwest
RiverPartners today welcomed the much anticipated Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) released by federal action agencies as part of the Columbia
River System Operations (CRSO) process.
Developed
by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the
US Bureau of Reclamation, with input from tribal nations and Northwest states,
the FEIS provides a comprehensive, final analysis of the four lower Snake River
dams (LSRD). It balances the needs of salmon, power supply, and social welfare
in the Pacific Northwest.
The
report concluded that the best option for fulfilling the multiple objectives of
improving salmonid survival, providing a reliable electric grid, and reaching
the Northwest’s clean energy future is to maintain the four LSRD with adjusted
operations.
Importantly,
the FEIS acknowledges the role of the LSRD as a critical source of affordable
and dependable energy for the Northwest and reiterates that without the LSRD,
the Northwest would be much more susceptible to energy shortages and regional
blackouts.
The
socio-economic consequences to communities of losing the LSRD would have been
dire. The FEIS estimates that the cost of replacing the LSRD with other
renewable energy sources backed up with batteries would have approached $800
million per year. That roughly equates to a 25% increase in electricity
bills for millions of Northwest residents and businesses.
Exorbitant
electricity bills would create economic chaos at a time when we are already
reeling from a global pandemic, a homelessness crisis, and an affordable
housing shortage.
Achieving
a sustainable future requires that we embrace the needs of all communities,
and, in particular, the escalating plight of our most vulnerable; Native
American tribes, communities of color, immigrant communities, and low-income
families.
The report is clear that the potential
benefit to salmon from dam breaching varies widely according to modeling
assumptions, but the harm to communities that rely on hydropower would have
been devastating.
Salmon
a Major FEIS Focus
Salmon
and steelhead recovery is a critical area of focus in the FEIS. In particular,
there has been much debate about the importance of increased spill levels at
dams for salmonid survival.
Many
salmon advocates believe spilling water with juvenile salmonids over the dams’
spillways—rather than allowing smolts to go through fish bypass systems or past
turbines—is beneficial for the salmon and steelhead life cycle. Others argue
that higher spill could induce gas bubble trauma in juveniles and increase
up-river migration for adults.
The
FEIS has adopted an operation that invests millions of dollars annually to test
whether increased spill will help or hinder salmonids. The new operation
incorporates dramatically higher levels of spill than ever before as part of
season-long hydroelectric operations. This operation is part of the continuation
of the Flexible Spill Agreement arrived at by Northwest states and many tribal
nations in 2018 and put into action in 2019.
The
FEIS also calls for continued significant investments in habitat restoration as
part of a holistic approach to helping salmonids.
Biological
Opinion
Today’s
EIS release coincides with the release of a NOAA Fisheries’ Biological Opinion,
which examined the proposed hydroelectric operations under the EIS Preferred
Alternative. It found that the recommended operations are consistent with the
requirements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
While
past Biological Opinions have been found by the federal court to be
inconsistent with the requirements of the ESA, it is our belief that the great
lengths taken by the federal agencies to examine dam breaching and other
options will demonstrate to the court that the federal action agencies have
presented a thoughtful plan, which is consistent with salmon and steelhead
recovery objectives.
NWRP
espouses hydropower as an important source of affordable, clean energy for the
Northwest and embraces the critical need to protect our salmon. We welcome the
findings presented in the FEIS and the Biological Opinion. We have always
believed that salmon and dams can coexist.
Climate
Change & Salmon
We
are deeply aware of the need to find strong solutions for the plight of our
salmon—a tenet profoundly acknowledged in the EIS.
Given
the near-synchronous decline in worldwide salmon populations, addressing
climate change and deteriorating oceans are necessary steps for salmon
recovery.
NOAA
Fisheries’ analysis from the Biological Opinion shows that ocean warming and
acidification due to climate change represent a significant and growing threat
to healthy salmonid populations. Breaching the lower Snake River dams,
conversely, would almost certainly increase the region’s carbon footprint and
contribute to further harmful ocean changes.
To meet salmon recovery efforts, we advocate
a more reasonable approach through a continued push towards decarbonization to
help reverse the worldwide trend in declining salmon runs.
Thorough,
Collaborative Process
We
hope the Environmental Impact Statement and its in-depth decision-making
process bring closure for all stakeholders involved and a firmer conviction
around the critical role of the hydropower system, which provides the Northwest
with the most affordable carbon-free, renewable energy in the nation.
About
Northwest RiverPartners
Northwest
RiverPartners (NWRP) is a not-for-profit, member-driven organization. We
represent not-for-profit, community-owned utilities across Washington, Oregon,
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Nevada. We also proudly represent farmers, ports,
and businesses across the region that support clean energy and low-carbon
transportation.
NWRP
is focused on raising awareness about how the Northwest’s hydropower system
betters communities and the natural environment, and we encourage science-based
solutions that help hydropower and salmon coexist and thrive.
http://nwriverpartners.org.
