In late September, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a study looking at meeting electrical needs in the event that the four lower Snake River dams were removed.  This news comes of the heals of a variety of studies and proposal looking at removing the dams that are so important to the farming community across the Northwest, and across the nation.  Michelle Hennings, Executive Director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, said they continue to talk with lawmakers about the importance of keeping the dams in place.  She noted that members of both parties see the importance of keeping those dams, so it’s very frustrating when these efforts to remove the dams arise.  Hennings noted that whether it’s at the federal or state level, the dams are unfairly targeted when the conversation of salmon recovery starts.

 

“The dams aren't the silver bullets," she said.  "It comes down to, there's ocean conditions, there's culverts, there's other factors that are that a factor into potential salmon decline. Now, there are good salmon numbers that go over or through the dams. So, it's just we need to make sure that we communicate, stay in communication and work together on them.”

 

Hennings said the Washington Association of Wheat Growers can’t advocate for the dams by themselves.  She says other farmers, regardless of commodity, need to advocate for the industry.

 

“They need to tell their story, they need to tell their bottom line, they need to tell how it will negatively affect their farming business.  You know, as a small farmer myself, I can't afford for my transportation costs to go up, especially with the wheat prices the way they are.  We need that reliability. We need to be able to get our wheat to market.”

 

 

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