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Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association Open Policy Memorandum
DATE : January 2022 TO :
FROM :
WA State Gov . Jay Inslee U . S . Sen . ( WA ) Patty Murray Mr . Jaimie Pinkham , Dep . Asst . Sect . Army , USACE and Senior Staff
Darryll Olsen , Ph . D ., CSRIA Board Representative
SUBJECT :
Coming to Terms with Lower Snake River Hydro Project Alternatives
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There are some good reasons why Gov . Inslee and Sen . Murray have requested key Lower Snake River ( LSR ) stakeholders to take another look at potential changes to hydro project operations .
And CSRIA members / representatives took note when some environmental group representatives quietly suggested that they were “ ready to evaluate and even embrace an alternative plan ” to Lower Snake River ( LSR ) dam breaching , if it moves toward salmon recovery . Are there other hydro project alternatives that should be considered ?
The CSRIA has long held that a “ status quo ” environmental impact statement ( EIS ), for the federal hydro projects , would fail . That fact has been hard to accept for some regional groups . The events since 2016 have been ignored or denied , with many equally blind to prior decades of strife .
But today , the litigation led by EarthJustice , Oregon , Tribes , and environmental groups , and coupled with a reassessment called for by Gov . Inslee and Sen . Murray , should reveal that future hydro operations on the Lower Snake River ( LSR ) system will not mirror the past .
Since its initial development , CSRIA representatives questioned legal / procedural and technical components of the EIS and did so in repeated memorandums / discussions with the EIS managers . We continue to view the Achilles ’ Heel of the EIS as failing to provide a full spectrum overview of LSR alternatives — the “ all or nothing ” approach to hydro project operations is neither consistent with past environmental reviews nor current perspectives by several parties in the region .
Something other than all or nothing must yield two fundamental objectives : 1 ) a likely probability of improved fish survival benefits , in the near-term ; and 2 ) a reasonable “ stand down ” period for any Columbia-Snake River litigation . Everything else is but a footnote to an acceptable compromise .
Taking into account polarized positions , the CSRIA still believes good faith discussions among key stakeholders could lead to a serious understanding of an alternative that could adopt the above objectives . In our view , a viable alternative must reflect Nez Perce Tribal expectations and take advantage of several key features proposed by CSRIA .
If the “ dam breaching-no breaching ” rancor prevails , then failed policy choices will be left on the table . We appreciate what our political leaders seek to accomplish with the stakeholders .
CSRIA , 3030 W . Clearwater , Ste . 205-A , Kennewick , WA 99336 509-783-1623 , E-mail DOlsenEcon @ AOL . com
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