SJM 103: Opposing dam breaching, again — 2024

Sen. Burtenshaw (R-Terreton) introduced SJM 103 in the Senate Resources & Conservation Committee to express opposition to breaching dams in the Columbia and Snake River systems. It promotes maintenance of federal hydroelectric dams at the expense of wild salmon, steelhead, and other native fish using inaccurate information about the dams and the recent Snake River Agreement announced in December 2023.

Many of the arguments made by the memorial are misleading and factually inaccurate. SJM 103 claims the lower Snake River dams produce at least 1,000 megawatts (and up to 3,000 megawatts) of electricity annually. In reality, the four dams combined produce about 900 average megawatts a year (about 4% of the region’s total energy production) and mostly only in the spring, when electricity demand is lower. Additionally, energy production at the dams has declined steadily since 2017 due to increasing drought in the Snake River Basin.

SJM 103 also indicates that the agreement between the White House and plaintiffs in ongoing litigation was reached without input from Idaho stakeholders. This suggestion ignores the reality that litigation is not a public process, and fails to mention the three public listening sessions and lengthy public comment period provided by the federal government to solicit broad stakeholder input on the future of the Columbia Snake River system. More than 50,000 comments were delivered through these opportunities, the majority of which supported breaching the lower Snake River dams.

Finally, the memorial misleadingly attributes salmon and steelhead declines to “many factors, including increased predation, unfavorable ocean conditions, and harvest.” Although anadromous fish do face multiple pressures that impact their survival, SJM 103 overlooks multiple studies (including a 2022 NOAA report) that have concluded that dam-related fish mortality surpasses mortality from other causes by a wide margin. By including inaccurate and misleading information, the resolution disregards the values and interests of Native American Tribes and other Idahoans who support the restoration of and depend on these iconic fish.