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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2020)
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 7 Commentary... Dam-breaching must be on the table in power discussions By Rod Bonacker Correspondent Recent commentary by CEC President David Markham criticizing Governor Kate Brown9s posi- tion on breaching the four Snake River dams doesn9t tell the entire story. Governor Brown9s letter to Washington Governor Jay Inslee calls for <facilitating thoughtful collaborations= to <help minimize and mitigate for potential harm to other vital sectors= including reli- able power systems, contin- ued water supplies for agricul- ture, and efficient and afford- able ways to get commodities to market. This is hardly a radical idea. Every time someone of influence begins a discussion of the Columbia/Snake River dams and their adverse effects to salmon and steelhead, vested interests clamor that dam-breaching is too expen- sive for the Northwest to even talk about. But breaching the Snake River dams has been shown over and over in mul- tiple studies over many years to be the most effective way to enhance salmon and steelhead survival in the Columbia River, and must be on the table in any serious discus- sion of river and hydropower operations. The true costs of hydro operations and the Snake River dams are rarely men- tioned. Taxpayers have already invested upwards of $17 billion into fish passage and other restoration efforts and 17 populations of salmon and steelhead continue to decline toward extinction. Small western communities, commercial fishermen, out- fitter/guides and other busi- nesses dependent on fish- related tourism have for years been paying the price that offsets our cheap electricity and the subsidized shipping of products down the river. Even here in Sisters, far from the dams, we have guides and other businesses at risk if salmon and steelhead are lost to extinction. It is true that the electri- cal production of the four dams is 1,000 annual aver- age megawatts/power for 800,000 homes. However, placing this in context of the overall power production in the Northwest paints a much different picture of possibili- ties. In fact, the Snake River dams provide less than 13 per- cent of all of BPA9s produc- tion, at best. This amount of power could be replaced with new renewable sources. Or it could be replaced by a portion of the nearly half of all BPA production that is surplus to Northwest needs and sold on the open market. A number of studies sup- port Governor Brown9s assertion that breaching will <address both the orca and the salmon dilemma,= the most recent being Southern Resident Killer Whales and Columbia/Snake River Chinook: A Review of the Available Scientific Evidence by David Bain, et al (February, 2020). Bain9s review concludes that the best available science indicates that the whales are heavily reliant on the Columbia/Snake spring chinook. The south- ern Puget Sound orcas were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2005 when the population numbered 88 indi- viduals. After 53 deaths and only a few successful births, the population has decreased We Serve the PLUMBING NEEDS OF SISTERS! Local • Reliable. •Professional 541þ549þ4349 260 N. Pine St., Sisters Licensed Bonded / Insured CCB#87587 Top Notch Pole Buildings, LLC A Notch Above The Rest - Any Size, Anywhere WINNEMUCCA, NV Jeff Meadors CCB #218429 APRIL 24-26 $124 PPDO Receive $15 slot play, $15 food coupons! 541-410-7983 jwmeadors63@gmail.com 69240 Enewetak Lane, Sisters, OR 97759 ALASKA CRUISE MAY 27-JUNE 6 $2,699 PPDO Includes air, taxes, transfers, 3 pre- nights & 7-night cruise! Ports include Anchorage, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay Ntl. Park, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver, Canada! BRANSON, MO IN THE SPRINGTIME! 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Finally, breaching oppo- nents often claim that current juvenile fish passage survival through the Snake River dams reaches an astounding 96 per- cent. This is simply incorrect. Direct juvenile fish mortal- ity is cumulative, each of the eight dams on the Columbia and Snake resulting in approx- imately 12-15 percent loss of the fish that pass through them. There is also indirect or delayed mortality caused by injuries and stress from long residence time in the warm backwater reservoirs. In 2018 NOAA Fisheries esti- mated direct mortality to juve- nile chinook traveling from Lewiston to below Bonneville Dam at 72 percent. Adding the additional loss from delayed mortality gives sur- vival rates of 4 to 11 percent. Madness is often defined as doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different outcome. This is exactly the story of decades of failed fish passage plan- ning and recovery efforts. It is past time for the bold leadership displayed here by governors Brown and Inslee, and Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson. If orca whales, our iconic salmon and steelhead, and the industries and com- munities that depend on them are to survive, any serious dis- cussion of fish recovery and Columbia/Snake River dams must encompass all aspects, all costs, and all alternatives, including breaching the Snake River dams. DINING & TAKE-OUT until midnight every night Menu at SistersSaloon.net 541-549-RIBS 190 E. Cascade Ave. Spri ng Cleaning! • Window & gutter cleaning, power washing • Residential & commercial screen cleaning/repair & glass restoration • Housekeeping & deep cleaning • Monthly, bi-monthly, move m mo v ve e i in/out n/ / o ou u t Mendoza’s Cleaning Services LLC 541-610-5760 • Cesar FREE ESTIMATES!