
rogerdodger
Moderator
Most Featured
Link below covers well the recent agreement between 4 tribes, 3 states, and the Biden administration that (finally) puts us on the path to removing the lower 4 dams on the Snake River. Bottom line: this is happening, it's going to take some time, and it's great news for NW salmon and steelhead.
The lower 4 Snake river dams were built primarily to allow barge traffic deeper into an important agricultural area, producing electricity was a secondary thing. These dams restrict the movement of anadromous fish to 55% of the habitat for the entire Columbia river system!
The agreement is based on replacing the benefits of the dams first, then breaching them, and then rebuilding the land uncovered.
The 4 dams combined produce average electricity of 1000MW (for comparison, Grand Coulee dam produces 2,400MW by itself). The plan is to replace the dams electricity with 1000 to 3000MW of solar/wind and to locate that production so it efficiently feeds into the existing grid.
I'm guessing Pasco will become the key barge port for agricultural stuff that previously came down the Snake, so I'm guessing train and truck transport to the Tri-Cities area will be enhanced to get the food there.
Very encouraging is that several parties with lawsuits pending have signed on to the agreement and are putting their lawsuits on hold.
Near the end of this article are links to the actual agreement:
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/01...ables-to-help-retire-dams-and-restore-salmon/
The lower 4 Snake river dams were built primarily to allow barge traffic deeper into an important agricultural area, producing electricity was a secondary thing. These dams restrict the movement of anadromous fish to 55% of the habitat for the entire Columbia river system!
The agreement is based on replacing the benefits of the dams first, then breaching them, and then rebuilding the land uncovered.
The 4 dams combined produce average electricity of 1000MW (for comparison, Grand Coulee dam produces 2,400MW by itself). The plan is to replace the dams electricity with 1000 to 3000MW of solar/wind and to locate that production so it efficiently feeds into the existing grid.
I'm guessing Pasco will become the key barge port for agricultural stuff that previously came down the Snake, so I'm guessing train and truck transport to the Tri-Cities area will be enhanced to get the food there.
Very encouraging is that several parties with lawsuits pending have signed on to the agreement and are putting their lawsuits on hold.
Near the end of this article are links to the actual agreement:
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/01...ables-to-help-retire-dams-and-restore-salmon/