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House members send letter opposing Snake River dam breaching

Published 1:30 am Thursday, November 10, 2016

House members send letter opposing Snake River dam breaching
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House members send letter opposing Snake River dam breaching
In this 2013 photo, the Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Pasco. There is a renewed push to remove Ice Harbor and three other dams on the Snake River to save wild salmon runs. (Bob Brawday/The Tri-City Herald via AP, File)

Associated Press

SPOKANE — U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse and numerous other Republican lawmakers have sent a letter opposing the removal of four dams on the Snake River to restore wild runs of salmon.

The lawmakers sent the letter on Thursday to members of the House Appropriations Committee, asking that money be retained in the federal budget to operate the dams. Newhouse represents central Washington.

The House in previous years adopted language that prohibits and use of federal funds to remove any federally-owned or operated dam.

A federal judge recently ordered the government to study breaching the four dams to restore diminished runs of wild salmon.

The four dams are located on the Snake River between the Tri-Cities and Pullman and produce about 5 percent of the electricity in the Northwest.

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