On February 6, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) introduced
a proposal that
would attempt to restore northwest salmon populations by breaching
four dams managed by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) on
the Lower Snake River in Idaho.
The four dams—the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little
Goose, and Lower Granite dams—are part of the Federal
Columbia River Power System. The dams are a significant
source of renewable energy in the Northwest, provide irrigation for
high-value farmland, and enable the transportation of large
shipments of grain and other crops that are freighted along the
Snake River. However, the dams have been controversial since
their completion in the 1970s because of their impacts on salmon
populations. Despite fish ladders and other mechanisms for
fish passage, the dams have continued to inhibit the passage of
salmon to and from the Pacific Ocean.
