Page 5 - ISI_171_AprilMay

All About Idaho
APRIL / MAY 2021 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
Salmon and Steelhead for
Future Generations
MAKING IT WORK FOR EVERYONE
BY HOLLY ENDERSBY
On February 6, Idaho Representative
Mike Simpson unveiled a proposal to address
declining Northwest salmon and steelhead
populations through the breaching of the
Lower Four Snake River Dams. The proposal
provides the following assurances:
< continued reliable energy,
< support for agriculture,
< secure transportation,
< safe removal of sediment,
< watershed improvement,
< establishment of a Lower Snake River
National Recreation Area,
< economic and scientific development
within the Columbia River watershed
< management of salmon and steelhead
by a co-equal Northwest State and Tribal
Fish and Wildlife Council.
It’s a big idea worth considering, given
the political elements and implications.
Oregon, Washington, and Idaho have
seniority positions in the current Congress.
These positions can provide the necessary
support for legislation of this magnitude
to succeed.
The current situation seems unsustain-
able with the amount of lawsuits, appeals,
Environmental Impact Statements, and
judicial directives.
For more than 30 years, we have spent
$17 billion on salmon recovery efforts,
although today more salmon and steel-
head runs are listed under the Endangered
Species Act than in 1980. What we’ve been
doing simply isn’t working and provides no
certainty for any party—agriculture, power
generation, conservation, recreation, trans-
portation, tourism, nor job opportunities.
Three things directly impact salmon
survival. First, polluted ocean conditions
reduce the number of returning adults.
Second, global climate change makes north-
west rivers and reservoirs warmer. Third,
dams, including the four Lower Snake River
dams, are detrimental to salmon and steel-
head reproduction cycles. At the end of
their 900-mile trek back to Idaho, the adult
return for salmon is 1 percent and trending
ever lower.
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If we want to have salmon and steel-
head in Idaho in the future, we need to
change what we’ve been doing while
ensuring we provide certainty and sus-
tainability for our communities.
President Biden is expected to propose
a National Clean Energy Stimulus bill this
year. Representative Simpson says the
proposal he and his Congressional partners
are working on carries a $33.5 billion price
tag, which would represent 1 to 2 percent
of the stimulus bill. This is an opportunity
for citizens of Idaho, Montana, Oregon,
and Washington to be decision makers and
crafters of a future beneficial to fish and
people alike.
Rather than waging continual war in the
courts, it makes sense to look seriously at
the Simpson proposal and work together to
control our own future.
The proposal is carefully explained on
Representative Simpson’s website (www.
simpson.house.gov), and I urge readers to
go there and read the details.
The proposal budgets for the following:
< money for breaching the dams during
the summer and fall of 2030 and 2031,
< the cost of energy replacement from power
removed from the grid with dam breaching,
< money for voluntary removal or
mitigation of small private dams or
other river structures that impede
salmon migration,
< funds for indemnification for irrigation
districts,
< region-wide watershed improvements,
< recreation and tourism opportunities,
< improvements to animal waste
management,
< i ncr eased fundi ng for bar ge
transportation for agriculture products,
< protection from lawsuits,
< extension of licensing to 35 years for
other Columbia and Snake River dams,
< a litigation moratorium of the same
duration.
A Northwest State and Tribal Fish and
Wildlife Council would act as the primary
fish manager. This council preserves a
co-equal status among members.
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PAGE 5
Columbia Basin Tribes would have
four votes, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and
Washington representatives would have
four votes, and the Northwest Governors
would have four votes.
The Council would be charged with
overseeing the following:
< joint fish recovery operations,
< joint invasive species control,
< joint predator control,
< joint science and monitoring activities,
< cooperation with federal fish and wildlife
agencies,
< w or k i n g w i th the n or thw es t
congressional delegation to increase
federal salmon appropriations.
Within the proposal are plans for water-
shed partnerships throughout our region.
Despite Simpson and his team holding
over three hundred meetings, not everyone
is on board. Some people who work in
agriculture, in particular, are concerned
about moving grain by road and rail versus
barging as is done now. They point to a
larger carbon footprint as well as increased
transportation costs for grain growers. But
a port city such as Lewiston, which is hun-
dreds of miles from the ocean, is certainly
a issue that has to be addressed, both for
agriculturalists and fish.
In addition, concerns about increased
energy costs and providing energy lost
to the grid from breaching the dams is a
sticking point for some. This is why it’s
important to engage with your Legislators,
so your concerns as well as support are
clearly communicated.
I live near a small Idaho town where
salmon, steelhead, and whitewater rafting
are the lifeblood of the economy. As fish
numbers have plummeted, so have motel
bookings, meals in restaurants, groceries
bought by anglers, and guided trips.
A robust salmon and steelhead fishery
translates to jobs in many small com-
munities. I fear that if we don’t take this
opportunity to really address the salmon,
steelhead, and dams issue, the iconic
Salmon River will one day be devoid of its
namesake fish. ISI
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