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Pasco Chamber of Commerce: Standing Up for Our Way of Life by Colin Hastings Tri-City Herald, April 18, 2019

Over the past years, the Progress Edition report from the Pasco Chamber of Commerce has always featured an element of the importance of the Lower Snake River dams to our region and the Northwest. This is to rebut the constant drumbeat of those extreme groups calling for their removal.

Last year, the debate reached a tempest with a loud group of people urging removal, including leaders from Washington state. Gov. Inslee’s Orca task force has recommended $750,000 to study the removal of the dams in response to the dire state of the southern resident orca population and the pod’s loss of a calf.

This is a waste of our taxpayer dollars, since the federal government is already doing an environmental impact study on our hydro power system, and whatever findings the state comes up with in the study will have no bearing on the fate of the dams – the dams are controlled by the federal government, answerable to the U.S. House of Representatives. Some task force recommendations are of value, and encouragement of speedy environmental rehab of Puget Sound salmon rivers should be a high priority.

Our Chamber board of directors saw this storm brewing and wanted to be proactive. We launched “RiverFest, Our Rivers Our Way of Life” community event in September 2018. We partnered with over 50 organizations from around the Northwest to tell the story of how the river system is important to them. With a lot of support and help from the community, we had nearly 3,000 people attend this family friendly event that featured hands-on activities for children and educational facts for the community highlighting the importance of our river system.

The event also created a six-week op-ed series in the Tri-City Herald focusing on six attributes we depend on as residents of the Northwest. We also placed a paid advertisement in the Seattle Metro market with thousands of views that was received very positively – 95 percent of the comments on social media we’re supportive! The Seattle Times sent a reporter to cover the event and interview attendees. RiverFest even inspired Congress to host a congressional field hearing for the House Natural Resources Committee to discuss the Lower Snake River Dams.

We will continue this new tradition again on Sept. 7, 2019, at Columbia Park, and we hope that it’s even bigger this year so we can demonstrate how important these carbon-free energy treasures are to our livelihood and the Northwest.

This year we are proud to have the leadership of Tara Wiswall of Edward D. Jones, as the 2018-19 board president. Tara is a strong leader with great vision for the good of the chamber and our community.

The Pasco Chamber of Commerce remains a friendly and personable group of businesses and professionals who have not lost sight of person-to-person contact and the comfort that comes with attending monthly luncheons where everyone gets to know your name. Over 100 years ago, the Pasco Chamber was created to promote and advocate for economic development and free enterprise.

Pasco Chamber membership provides small business affordable entry to our region’s growing economy and business community. Network and increase your company’s visibility to demonstrate your commitment to the residents and businesses of Pasco. Not only is the Pasco Chamber the champion of agri-business, we provide a conduit to the growth potential for your business since Pasco’s population is expected to grow 50,000 in the next 20 years. The application takes 2 minutes and is available at pascochamber.org/online-application.html

Related Pages:
Pawning Off One Farmer as Representing All is a Cheap Trick in the Dam-Removal Campaign by Editorial Board, Tri-City Herald, 4/12/19
Dam Agreement to Save Fish Worth a Try by Editorial Board, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 12/19/18
Stories on Salmon Too Often Skewed by John L. Cox, Tri-City Herald, 9/13/18