Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington will this week release a draft of their state-federal assessment of breaching four dams on the lower Snake River.
Inslee and Murray want to determine if there are reasonable means to replace the benefits of the dams if they are breached in an effort to benefit salmon. The dams provide electricity and irrigation water to the region, in addition to allowing barge traffic to shuttle between upstream ports and ports along the Columbia River.
The final recommendation is expected to be finished by July, said Mike Faulk, communications director for Inslee.
Agricultural stakeholders got a "sneak peek" at the draft several weeks ago, said Heather Stebbings, executive director of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association.
Stebbings said stakeholders have a "significant number of concerns" with the information used in the report and some outcomes that were laid out.
"We just saw PowerPoints, so we don't have a lot of details," she said. "We are looking forward to seeing the document in person."
"The goal of the report is to have a thoughtful, objective analysis of options," Faulk told the Capital Press. "The public will have opportunities to weigh in on the draft report."
Stebbings spoke June 1 during an energy tour for the Congressional Western Caucus. The dams were a major focus of the tour.
Stebbings provided other updates on potential dam removal efforts.
• Ecosystem restoration study: The U.S. House and Senate are working to update the Water Resources Development Act. Murray introduced language in the Senate bill authorizing a Columbia River aquatic ecosystem restoration study.
"We're not exactly sure what that would look like," Stebbings said.
Agricultural stakeholders want to make sure that all congressionally authorized purposes for the dams are the foundational element and would not change, regardless of the outcome of the study, Stebbings said.
• Lawsuit stay: Last fall, the Biden administration and environmental plaintiffs challenging NOAA's biological opinion called for a pause on litigation until July 2022 to negotiate an out of court settlement, Stebbings said.
The White House Council on Environmental Quality has become more engaged in looking at the dams, holding a series of listening sessions and meeting with various regional agricultural stakeholders, Stebbings said.
The CEQ has engaged the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, which would extend the litigation pause.
"Now CEQ and FMCS (are) saying we need another 12 to 18 months to really dig into this and negotiate a settlement with everyone," Stebbings said. "They seem really confident that they can get the stay in place and also that they can get a negotiated settlement."
The pause would be extended through September 2023.
"It's going to be really interesting to see, if they're able to extend the stay and go through this negotiation process, what actually unfolds," she said.
Extension of the stay is likely, at which point CEQ and FMCS would hold meetings with all stakeholders over the next year or so, Stebbings said.
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I have been covering wheat and other topics for Capital Press since 2008. Recent stories include radicchio, emus, aphids and a Q&A with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
If you have a news tip, please contact me at 509-688-9923 or mweaver@capitalpress.com
