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Judges Allowing Salmon to Dictate all Decisions by Christopher Dunagan Kitsap Sun, August 6, 2018

In response to the Kitsap Sun article, "Mason Electricity bills rise after spill" (July 25, 2018):

It seems to me that in the majority of court rulings when environmental concerns are addressed, it is a given that the court will side with the environmentalists. This is especially true when the buzz word "salmon" is included in the lawsuit brought by environmentalists.

It is understandable the amount of debate that takes place in the Senate when judges are brought up for nomination. Judges are supposed to be non-partisan but once seated in their permanent judgeships there is nothing holding them back from injecting their own ideology into their decisions. In the ruling, which is referenced, it is seen once again salmon trump the people.

At the present time there is a bill, HR 3144, which has passed the House and is in committee in the Senate, which would provide federal protection of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS). This bill states, "No structural modification, action, study, or engineering plan that restricts electrical generation at any FCRPS hydroelectric dam, or that limits navigation on the Snake River in the State of Washington, Oregon, or Idaho, shall proceed unless such proposal is specifically and expressly authorized by an Act of Congress enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act."

Hopefully this is passed and prevents the removal of dams on the FCRPS. We can always hope, but there is always the fear that a judge will declare the bill unconstitutional if passed.

Related Pages:
House Approves McMorris Rodgers, Walden Bill to Preserve Pacific NW Dams by Staff, Ripon Advance, 4/30/18
Listen Bill in Congress Would Lock Snake River Dams in Place by Eric Tegethoff, Public News Service, 4/24/18
Alarming 'Salmon Extinction Act' Passes in U.S. House by Earthjustice Blog, EcoWatch, 4/26/18
Dam Protection Bill Passes House, Moves to Senate by Matthew Weaver, Capital Press, 4/27/18
Listen Washington Lawmaker's Bill on Snake River Dams Advances to Senate by Frankie Barnhill, Boise State Public Radio, 4/26/18
Listen Dam Bill by Bob Larson, AgInfo.net, 4/26/18
The House Passes a Bill Limiting Water for Salmon by Carl Segerstrom, High Country News, 4/26/18
The 'Spill Bill' -- House Bill Would Cut Spill Over Dams for Salmon by Joel Connelly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 4/26/18
House Bill Would Cancel Dam Release Aimed at Salmon Restoration by Staff, Undercurrent News, 4/26/18
Citing Costs, U.S. House Votes to Halt Additional Water Spills for Salmon by Becky Kramer, Spokesman-Review, 4/25/18
House Passes Bill Rejecting Court-ordered Snake River Dam Spills to Help Fish by Pete Danko, Portland Business Journal, 4/26/18
Listen Bill to Protect Columbia and Snake River Dams Passes House by Dave Bernstein, KPQ, 4/25/18
Bipartisan Bill to Protect Columbia and Snake River Dam Passes House by Madison Meyer, iFiber One, 4/25/18
House Pushes Back on judge's Columbia, Snake Dams Ruling. Next Up, the Senate by Annette Cary, Idaho Statesman, 4/25/18
Bill Protecting Lower Snake River Dams Passes US House by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting, 4/25/18
Watch Dam Bill Passes U.S. House, Moves to Senate by Tony Schick, KUOW, 4/25/18
US House Moves to Reverse Order to Aid Salmon by Daly & Geranios, Bristol Herald Courier, 4/25/18