Trump Issues Memo To Keep Snake River Dams

On Thursday, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum revoking the Biden Administration’s “Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin” Memorandum.  President Trump said the Biden-area Memo placed concerns about climate change above the Nation’s interests in reliable energy resources.  Thursday’s Memorandum from President Trump directs the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to withdraw from agreements stemming from Biden’s executive action.  That includes the December 14, 2023 Memorandum of Understanding filed in connection with related litigation. 

The Nation's Energy Infrastructure A Priority For President Trump

Trump’s action Thursday directs the specified agencies to coordinate with the Council on Environmental Quality to review and revise environmental review processes related to the matters in the MOU, save Federal funds, and withdraw from the MOU. 

The Administration said Thursday President Trump continues to prioritize the Nation’s energy infrastructure and use of natural resources to lower the cost of living for all Americans over speculative climate change concerns.  Thursday's announced added President Trump "recognizes the importance of ensuring the future of wildlife populations in the Columbia River Basin, while also advancing the country’s energy creation to benefit the American public".

Dam Breaching Would Hurt Farmers, Shippers, Devastating Ag

The Biden Administration MOU required the Federal government to spend millions of dollars and comply with 36 pages of onerous commitments to dam operations on the Lower Snake River.  Dam breaching would have resulted in reduced water supply to farmers, eliminated several shipping channels, had devastating impacts to agriculture, increased energy costs, and eliminated recreational opportunities throughout the region.  The dam breaches would have eliminated over 3,000 megawatts of secure and reliable hydroelectric generating capacity—which is enough generation to power 2.5 million American homes.

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Industry Reaction:

Lawmakers

"Throughout my time in Congress, I have stood firm in my support for the Lower Snake River Dams and the critical role they play in our region’s economy," said central Washington Representative Dan Newhouse.

"Today’s action by President Trump reverses the efforts by the Biden administration and extreme environmental activists to remove the dams, which would have threatened the reliability of our power grid, raised energy prices, and decimated our ability to export grain to foreign markets. I want to thank the President for his decisive action to protect our dams, and I look forward to continuing to work with the administration for the benefit of the Fourth District."

“I’m pleased to see President Trump withdraw from the 2023 salmon agreement that would have paved the way to tear down our local dams,” said eastern Washington Representative Michael Baumgartner. “It was an act of extreme environmentalism by the last Administration that excluded critical stakeholders, sidelined Congress’ role, and should never have been signed by the federal government.

“Protecting salmon is vital, but breaching the Lower Snake River dams is not the solution. These dams provide affordable, reliable, and clean energy to nearly a million homes, enable the transport of billions in agricultural goods, and already meet some of the highest standards for fish passage,” Baumgartner added.

"Let’s follow the science, invest in proven fish recovery efforts, and strengthen the hydropower backbone of our region, not tear it down.”

Wheat Growers

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers applauds Thursday’s Presidential Memorandum revoking the Dec. 14, 2023, Memorandum of Understanding filed by the Biden administration.

“We appreciate the efforts of the Trump administration to ensure that the dams remain intact while protecting the integrity of the river system and salmon populations. Washington’s wheat industry relies on the continued operation of dams along the Columbia-Snake River System,” said WAWG Executive Director Michelle Hennings. “Over 60 % of Washington wheat exports utilize the river system, which is essential for supporting a thriving overseas export market along with providing nearly 4,000 jobs in the region.”

WAWG has been engaged on this issue for many years and is encouraged by the actions of the administration to protect the dams. The actions taken through this announcement reflect an understanding of not only the needs of family farmers and ranchers, but the totality of the regional economy. We look forward to working with the Trump administration to protect critical transportation networks for U.S. agriculture products as well as the many other benefits the dams provide, such as clean energy generation and recreational access.

WAWG thanks Congressman Dan Newhouse for his long-standing advocacy of Marine Highway 84 and as well as support from Congressman Michael Baumgartner and the rest of the Washington state congressional delegation for their continued leadership in Washington, D.C., to protect the integrity of the Columbia Basin River System, particularly the lower Snake River dams.

Ports, Waterways

“The MOU put our region on a path toward breaching the 4 lower Snake River dams, failing to consider the devastating economic impact such action would have on the region and the vital role that the river system plays in supporting the Pacific Northwest and national economy", said Inland Ports & Navigation Group Co-Chair, Leslie Druffel of the McGregor Company.  "We'd like to thank our congressional advocates, including Representatives Baumgartner (5th-WA), Bentz (2nd-OR), Newhouse (4th-WA), and Fulcher (1st-ID) as well as Senators Crapo (ID) and Risch (ID) for the continuous support for reliable and efficient navigation on the river system.”

President Trump’s decision to rescind the MOU is a significant step towards ensuring the continued prosperity of the Pacific Northwest, IPNG said.  The Columbia Snake River system is a critical transportation route for the region, as well as for agriculture producers in the upper Midwest, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and contributing billions of dollars to the economy each year. It is the largest wheat export gateway in the U.S.

"Dams and salmon can co-exist," said IPNG Co-Chair Patrick Harbison, of the Port of Kalama, WA. "In fact, salmon runs have actually increased since the construction of the dams due to state-of-the-art bypass systems and fish ladders that were installed at each of the dams on the system."

"The divisive issue of dam breaching has prevented the type of partnerships necessary to work together on productive strategies and actions to improve salmon populations for the benefit of all Pacific Northwest residents, said Pacific Northwest Waterways Association Executive Director Neil Maunu.  "We can have salmon and a robust economy at the same time."

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