(PORTLAND,
OR) -- The Pacific Northwest Waterways Association reacted today to Oregon
Governor Kate Brown's Feb. 11 letter to Washington Governor Jay Inslee,
expressing Brown's support for breaching the four lower Snake River dams.
"We
share Governor Brown's passion for the recovery of the three southern resident
orca pods that frequent Puget Sound, and the Snake River salmon runs that make
up a portion of those orcas' diet. But the timing of the governor's letter is
surprising. The federal agencies that operate the lower Snake River dams and
others in the Columbia Basin are currently conducting a comprehensive
science-based evaluation of salmon and the river system, and will issue a draft
report and recommendations at the end of February. That report is being
developed in collaboration with and input from a variety of Oregon and
Washington state agencies," said PNWA Executive Director Kristin Meira.
"The
States of Oregon and Washington, like all other partners and stakeholders of
these federal projects, will have an opportunity to review and provide feedback
on the draft environmental impact statement in just a few weeks. Indeed,
Governor Inslee's office commissioned a $750,000 stakeholder engagement process
to inform his review and feedback. It is surprising to see a letter of this
nature, expressing a position for the State of Oregon for an extreme approach
on the river system, prior to the release of the federal agencies' proposed
operations," Meira said.
"PNWA
is also concerned about the scientifically inaccurate information in the
letter. Its portrayal of the role and importance of the lower Snake River dams
in the survival of the southern resident orcas is at odds with information
available from NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency responsible fro the recovery
of both orcas and Chinook salmon," Meira said.
"The
lower Snake River dams are federal projects. Since their construction in the
1960s and 1970s, every presidential administration and every Congress has
recognized the immense benefits to the region those projects provide, and
funded their continued operation accordingly and without interruption,"
Meira said.
As
conversations continue in the region and the federal study process moves
forward, PNWA will continue to support clean renewable hydropower, efficient
barge transportation, and science-based salmon recovery.
About the Pacific
Northwest Waterways Association
The
Pacific Northwest Waterways Association is a non-profit trade association of
ports, businesses, public agencies and individuals who support navigation,
energy, trade and economic development throughout the Pacific Northwest.
