Environmental Groups Continue To Call For Snake River Dam Removal

Conservation and fishing groups are calling for a halt to spending projects on four lower Snake River dams that they say could be torn down to help salmon in the Northwest.  The groups filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Portland this week to cut off an estimated $110 million in dam-related projects.  A second motion, alongside the Nez Perce Tribe, asks to "spill" more water over the dam spillways to increase survival rates for endangered wild salmon during their spring run.

Liz Hamilton, who heads the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, said taxpayers shouldn't be investing in unnecessary projects.

"Gold-plating dams that may not be in our future because they're outdated – they've outlived their purpose, and they're causing, most of us think, more harm than good – then we need to stop investing in them. It's just a waste of money. We need to save the money for the right things that fish need.”

In May, a federal judge ruled that federal agencies must consider breaching the dams to help salmon populations in the Northwest.  Supporters of the dams say they play a vital role in transportation on the river and provide inexpensive electricity.

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