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Commentaries and editorials

Lower Snake River Dams:
Salmon Can't Wait

by Laurel Schandelmier
Seattle Times, June 16, 2022

We need to mobilize political will now before it's truly too late.

A young resident killer whale chases a chinook salmon near Vancouver Island. (Photograph by John Durban/NOAA Re: "Removing Lower Snake River Dams offers best chance for salmon recovery -- at steep price, report says" [June 9, Local News]:

Americans love a comeback story. No comeback story could be more central to the Pacific Northwest than that of salmon.

Salmon populations have been cratering for an embarrassingly long time and with them populations of our iconic orca, despite billions of dollars spent on solutions so far. We have not been meeting our obligations to the tribal treaties, to the natural ecosystems we've disrupted or to the industries that rely on these fish.

Yes, breaching the dams is expensive. Yes, we would need to replace that power generation capacity with other renewable sources to avoid recarbonizing the grid. But to not pay that expense -- to allow this cornerstone species to go extinct run by run -- is not an acceptable alternative. We need to mobilize political will now before it's truly too late. Breach or bust.


Laurel Schandelmier, Seattle
Lower Snake River Dams:
Salmon Can't Wait

Seattle Times, June 16, 2022

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