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Restoring Salmon on the Snake River by Thomas Soeldner Spokesman-Review, May 13, 2022

Thank you, Shawn Vestal, for your May 8 column clearly and cogently presenting the scientific consensus on dam-breaching as it applies to the Snake River dams and the restoration of native salmon runs on the Snake and lower Columbia Rivers. And thank you for, in that way, exposing the "inventions" of Todd Myer and the Washington Policy Center, which claims to bring "balance to the environmental debate." Unfortunately, in this case, "balance" does not mean truth.

The science is clear. If we care about the continued existence of native salmon in the Snake River, potentially the richest salmon habitat in the country, and the orca which depend on them for food; if we care about the economic benefits for this river's communities, tourism and outdoor sports businesses; and if we care about the science and economics of replacing any benefits the Snake River dams now provide, we will get behind the efforts to breach those dams.

The outrageous and ineffective cost of continuing on the counterproductive path of the last 30 years is clear. Idaho Sen. Mike Simpson, Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Washington Sen. Patty Murray, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee know this and are seeking a better way to both restore salmon and replace any benefits lost by the breaching of the lower Snake River dams. We should all be celebrating and supporting those efforts.