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<p>Balanced Reporting. Trusted Insights.</p>
Wednesday, April 02, 2025
A slate of actions aimed at preparing the Pacific Northwest for a scenario in which four dams on the Lower Snake River are breached appears to be under consideration as the Biden Administration looks to resolve a 22-year-long legal dispute over declining salmon populations, according to a draft settlement document circulated by four House lawmakers.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray announced Thursday that the energy and navigation benefits currently provided by four dams on the lower Snake River would need to be replaced before they will support breaching them to restore salmon populations.
The House will debate a package of six spending bills that include funding for departments and agencies critical to agriculture, and Republicans are pushing for votes on amendments aimed at highlighting key parts of President Joe Biden’s regulatory agenda.
Breaching four dams on the Lower Snake River and replacing the services they provide to the Pacific Northwest could cost between $10.3 billion and $27.2 billion, according to a draft report commissioned by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray.