Letter: Court ruling on salmon points to breach of least=productive dams
Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 5, 2026
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon in a recent ruling identified a central issue for Northwest salmon recovery and hydropower when he noted federal agencies display a “disappointing history of government avoidance and manipulation instead of sincere efforts at solving the problem and remediating the harm.”
The 101-page ruling will aid juvenile salmon survival by creating a more river-like environment during their spring, summer and fall outward migration to the ocean. This is accomplished in part through increased water flowing over dam spillways rather than being used for electricity generation. As important as this ruling is, it continues to support a fragile lifeline rather than providing a genuine path for fish recovery.
How much hydropower can you extract from a river and still have viable wild populations of salmon, steelhead and other migratory fish? Review of data by NOAA fish biologists as well as other experts reveals a need to dial back some on hydropower. The most effective approach would be to focus where the least reduction in hydropower would achieve the greatest abundance of fish.
If you engage in this exercise with integrity there is no ambiguity in the answer. It displays boldly as breach the lower Snake River dams. Compared to federal dams on the Columbia River these dams have modest power production and minimal storage capacity while restricting access of salmon and steelhead to over 5,000 miles of river and stream spawning habitat. Extending into the high-elevation wilderness of northeast Oregon and Central Idaho, the habitat is unsurpassed for both size and quality in the continental U.S.
The 2023 Resilient Columbia Basin Initiative provided comprehensive planning for both fish recovery and alternatives for the power and other services provided by the lower Snake River dams. Though the Trump administration pulled out of the agreement in 2025 the initiative can still provide a framework for opposing parties to develop real solutions for the Northwest. Dare we waste the time Judge Simon has extended?
Don J. Miller
Arlington
