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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2021)
A4 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2021 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher Founded in 1873 DERRICK DePLEDGE Editor SHANNON ARLINT Circulation Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager OUR VIEW Blessed are the peacemakers I WASH. 26 Area in detail WHITMAN 127 Little Goose Dam 261 260 ke Riv er Lower Granite Dam Ice Harbor Dam na 395 FRANKLIN S Pomeroy Tu c annon 12 Lower Monumental Dam GARFIELD R. 12 WALLA WALLA Dayton 124 . b ia R Touchet Ri ve Pasco lum n crafting his plan for the removal of the dams on the lower Snake River, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, has man- aged to forge consensus between farm, shipping and environmental interests on his idea. They all hate it. Blessed are the peacemakers. They may be children of God, but often fi nd surprisingly little support at home. Simpson did not propose actual legislation, but in February released a $33.5 billion concept for salmon recovery, which includes removing the Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams in 2030 and 2031. It is a bold plan, a potential grand compromise that seeks to address the competing needs of those who want the dams removed and those who depend on the sta- tus quo for their livelihoods, elec- trical energy, transportation and irrigation. In short, Simpson’s plan would: • Require that the electrical power generated by the dams be replaced, and that the new infra- structure would be operational before the dams are breached. • Provide money for river resto- ration, the development of trans- portation infrastructure to replace barge traffi c, economic develop- ment for communities impacted by the breaching, watershed projects and irrigation infrastructure. • Require that all other dams in the Columbia Basin that generate more than 5 megawatts of electric- ity be granted an automatic 35-year license extension. • Prohibit for 35 years any liti- gation related to anadromous fi sh within the Columbia River system under the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act or the Clean Water Act, and stay any ongoing litigation. COLUMBIA r 125 Walla Walla 12 College Place 730 Wash. Co Ore. 11 10 miles Wash. Ore. Capital Press graphic As we said, an ambitious com- promise, but one that none of the major stakeholders will accept. Despite promises that their con- cerns will be addressed, farmers and ranchers worry about whether they will get the water they need, or will be able to ship product. Electric utilities worry they won’t have a reliable source of power and barge interests worry about their jobs disappearing. Environmental interests love the idea of breaching the dams, but leaving the others unchallenged for 35 years is crazy talk. And fi l- ing lawsuits is their raison d’etre. Outlawing salmon-related lawsuits beyond the middle of the century would allow for all kinds of politi- cal chicanery, particularly the next time an anti-environment presi- dent is maneuvered into the White House. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The Ice Harbor Dam on the lower Snake River holds back Lake Sacajawea, the source of irrigation water for 47,000 acres of farmland. A group of 17 environmental organizations says Simpson’s plan would speed up salmon extinction and harm human health, calling it “untenable.” In releasing the plan, Simp- son said he didn’t draft legislation because an ambitious concept such as he proposed needs to involve all the stakeholders and the states impacted. We don’t think the plan as pro- posed ever had a chance, but Simp- son should be given credit for start- ing a conversation. Does anyone want to talk? Are his ideas a start- ing point that might develop into a more acceptable set of trade-off s? We know what everyone doesn’t want and what they won’t accept, but what do they want and what will they accept? LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Vaccine success y wife and I recently received our second Mod- erna vaccine, which has given us great relief and really marks an important event in our lives and lifetime. We are grateful for all the hard work at the fed- eral, state and county levels that made this possible. Recent news heralded a record in daily vaccines, hav- ing reached a 4 million total in a single day, which is truly remarkable, considering the complexity involved in produc- ing vaccines, organizing clin- ics and enrolling people for receiving their shots. Kudos to all who are helping to make this happen. Nearly all of the population in the U.S. has been vaccinated against many diff erent diseases over our lifetimes. Polio, diph- theria , measles, mumps, teta- nus, smallpox and tuberculosis are some that come to mind that have helped us stay alive and healthy. I urge everyone to get behind the COVID-19 vaccine program and get the shot in the arm that will protect everyone from this nasty virus that has killed more than half a million people in our country. Please join in the battle to defeat this common enemy that is attacking people all over the world. The vaccines are safe and eff ective in protecting us from getting seriously ill or dying. Let’s work together to rid ourselves of the virus and get us back to a world without masks and social distancing. Can’t wait to hug my grandkids ! NED HEAVENRICH Brownsmead M Friendly and effi cient e got our fi rst vaccines at the Clatsop County Fair- grounds on April 1. The site was very well arranged, with every- thing running smoothly and quickly. Our thanks to everyone who made this possible, especially the many volunteers. Everyone we dealt with was very friendly and effi cient. MICHAEL TARACHOW MERCE DOSTALE Hammond W Voter suppression ’m just an old man, but I see that our president of these United States called the Geor- gia voting bill “sick” and “Jim Crow on steroids.” Let me be as kind as I can here: He lied. His own home state has harsher laws. Still, and once again, media and corpo- rations blindly jumped to obey. Did they actually read the law? Unlikely. The real reason he brought the weight of the executive branch down on Georgia is political power. The Georgia law requires voter ID. Not allowing illegals to vote is against Biden’s law. For contrast, try getting on a plane without enhanced ID. If the words coming out of our president’s mouth were the truth, I suspect it would be something like: “Come one, come all. Vote early, vote often, vote for me. I will give you things. I will punish those who would follow the racist ID vot- ing laws.” ROBERT LIDDYCOAT Seaside I LETTERS WELCOME Letters should be exclusive to The Astorian. Letters should be fewer than 250 words and must include the writer’s name, address and phone number. You will be contacted to confi rm author- ship. All letters are subject to editing for space, grammar and factual accuracy. Only two letters per writer are allowed each month. Letters written in response to other letter writers should address the issue at hand and should refer to the headline and date the letter was published. Discourse should be civil. 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