In his Wednesday, Aug. 21, opinion, 81-year-old U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, promised to keep the lower four Snake River dams while he’s senator. Risch should plan for the future instead of leaning into the past. Anyone who thinks the lower four Snake River dams aren’t coming down isn’t paying attention. The Elwha, Kennebec, Penobscot and Klamath rivers come to mind, and at least 80 dams were removed in the U.S. in 2023 alone.

Risch got a few facts wrong. The four dams provide no storage, meaning they are only relevant during the spring melt when most folks are running neither AC nor heat. Hydroelectricity is not a zero-emission energy source. More important than minor inaccuracies is doubling down on a failing system. These dams have cost more than $25 billion in failed salmon mitigation. They are beyond their planned lifespan and they are replaceable. These dams are the equivalent of a telegraph machine operating in the iPhone world.

Fish are the reason the dams will come out. The dams are the most significant killer of wild fish in the best habitat for Pacific salmon in the lower 48. The Snake Basin holds massive, cold, clean habitat that historically spawned half the salmon in the Columbia Basin.

Electricity is not a reason to keep the dams; rather, it is a pressing reason to act. Risch is correct that demand is increasing and hydroelectricity is a significant part of our grid. He is incorrect to prioritize these dams, which generate less than 4% of the region’s energy, a share that’s declining as water availability decreases.

The Americans who built these dams were bold. Risch should show the same initiative. We can create new, abundant electricity. We can restore abundant salmon. We must honor treaties. Clinging to our grandparents’ infrastructure is no plan for Idaho’s future.

Greg McReynolds
Idaho Rivers United executive director

Idaho Mountain Express: 'Risch is off base on dam removal' article link