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A3 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019 Washington state funds Snake River dam removal study Money part of state budget By COURTNEY FLATT Northwest Public Broadcasting Tucked into Washington’s $52.4 billion operating bud- get passed Sunday night by the Legislature is controver- sial funding for a stakeholder group tasked with looking into what would happen should the four l ower Snake River dams be removed or altered. Supporters say the group will make sure Washingto- nian’s voices are heard in the often contentious conversa- tion around dam removal. Critics say the effort is a waste of time and money — too similar to a discussion already happening at the federal level. Gov. Jay Inslee had asked for $750,000, following the recommendations of the state’s Southern Resident Orca Task Force, a group cre- ated by the governor to fi nd ways to save the orcas. “Funding the Snake River stakeholder discussions is critical for Washington com- munities and stakeholders to assure their voice is heard and interests addressed if the four lower Snake River dams are removed — which the sci- ence shows is essential for the salmon and orca,” Bill Arthur, the Sierra Club’s salmon cam- paign coordinator, said in a statement. Critics of Washington’s dam removal study have said the federal process is enough and what the governor asked to spend money on essentially duplicates the federal govern- ment’s assessment. “Calls for additional pro- cesses and forums that under- mine the existing study are counterproductive, not based in science, and divert resources from the creation of a credible plan that is best for salmon and the North- west,” Kristin Meira, execu- tive director of Pacifi c North- west Waterways Association, said in a statement. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon ordered fed- eral regulators to take a hard look at all options to protect salmon, including the poten- tial removal of the four dams on the l ower Snake River. Ken Balcomb/Center for Whale Research Chinook salmon are an important source of food for whales. “Despite billions of dol- lars spent on these efforts, the listed species continue to be in a perilous state,” Simon wrote. “The (Federal Colum- bia River Power System) remains a system that ‘cries out’ for a new approach.” That kicked off a years long process, where federal agen- cies began studying ways to protect imperiled salmon on the Columbia and Snake riv- ers. A fi nal decision on that study is expected in Septem- ber 2020. In an earlier statement, Washington Republican U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers said spending taxpayer money to look at removing or altering the dams would be a waste. “Congress has the sole authority to authorize breach- ing our federal dams, and as representatives of e astern Washington communities that depend on the many benefi ts they provide, breaching them is out of the question. We commit to do everything in our power to save our dams,” the representatives said in the joint statement. At a salmon conference in Boise in April , Michael Garr- ity said there’s “new urgency” around these issues in the state because of the connec- tion between salmon and orca health. Garrity is the Colum- bia River and w ater p olicy mManager for the Washing- ton Department of Fish & Wildlife. “There’s a call for explor- ing the social and economic benefi ts of breaching the l ower Snake River dams,” Garrity said during a panel. At the same conference, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said he has started to ask “what if” questions, looking more deeply at what should happen if the dams are removed or altered. What happens to Lewiston, the most inland port in the West ? What happens to farmers? How do growers transport their grains? “There are an awful lot of questions that have to be asked, because you need to address these if you are going to solve this problem,” Simp- son said. Simpson challenged the group to come together to save salmon. Conservation groups are now drawing com- parisons to that challenge, with the funding of Washing- ton’s stakeholder task force. “We are encouraged to see leadership emerging in both states. The problems fac- ing salmon, orca and energy in the Northwest can’t wait,” said Sam Mace, i nland North- west program director for the Save Our Wild Salmon Coali- tion, in a statement. The funding ask was the result of recommendations from the Southern Resident Orca Task Force. The whales mainly feed on C hinook salmon. Their population has dropped to 74 orcas, as they face threats from a dwin- dling food supply, water pol- lution and vessel noise. The task force did not recommend breaching the dams. In the budget, the stake- holder forum funding will be split between fi scal years 2020 and 2021. “Should it be determined that it’s time for the dams to be removed, then communi- ties must have the opportunity to collaboratively develop a transition plan to ensure the region’s needs will continue to be met. We must insist on a path forward that works for salmon and people,” said Wendy McDermott, Puget Sound and Columbia Basin director of American Rivers, in a statement. Washington state lawmakers try to keep bridge replacement talks alive Set aside $35 million for I-5 project By LAUREN DAKE Oregon Public Broadcasting Before the Washington state Legislature adjourned , lawmakers passed a trans- portation budget. And inside the $9.8 billion two-year spending plan was $35 mil- lion dedicated to renewed efforts to replace the Inter- state 5 bridge. The money will be used to open and operate an Inter- state-5 bridge project offi ce and help fund design work. “It’s time to put our money where our mouth is and demonstrate how this process differs from past practices,” Washington state Sen. Annette Cleve- land, D-Vancouver, said in a statement. Gov. Kate Brown, who has been in talks with Wash- ington Gov. Jay Inslee about reviving a plan to replace the aging bridge, said Ore- gon is ready to join their counterparts across the river. “Replacing the Inter- state Bridge is critical to the economies and communities of both Oregon and Wash- ington,” Brown said in a statement. Oregon’s Department of Transportation will have a staff member join the new offi ce and work with Wash- ington to start the process of reviewing what work might still be relevant from the defunct Columbia River Crossing project. The money, however, is a pittance compared to the overall cost of planning and building a bridge. Lawmakers in Oregon remain reluctant to engage with their Washington coun- terparts after Washington torpedoed the approximate $3 billion Columbia River Crossing project in 2013. An Oregon-only effort to replace the bridge connect- ing Portland to Vancouver fi zzled a year later. Since then, talk of replac- ing the 100-year-old bridge has been a divisive topic. It’s taken years for Washington lawmakers to prove to their Oregon counterparts they are committed to the effort. And bridge fatigue remains strong. Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Eu- gene, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, chuckled when he heard the $35 million fi gure. “We’ll let them study it,” Beyer said of Washington lawmakers. Later, he added, “If they want to talk, we’ll talk. But we won’t put the time and money into it. It’s their turn.” The new effort could, however, stave off the fed- eral government from recall- ing a chunk of money for the Columbia River Cross- ing. Both states must show the federal government they are making progress on the project or Oregon would owe about $93 million and Washington would owe $54 million. Initially, it appeared as though Washington might pass a spending bill that included $450 million for the Interstate 5 bridge proj- ect, but the measure didn’t pass the Legislature. One of the sticking points in the last project was over light rail. Residents in s outh- west Washington have been vocally opposed to light rail, while political leaders in both states have maintained it should be part of any new bridge. Brown has called the existing bridge over the Columbia River a “seismic risk, a freight bottleneck, a barrier to effective public transportation and a source of some of the worst grid- lock in the nation.” WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Main St. Market Family 503-861-2271 www.mainstselect.com 191 S. 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