Port writes letter in support of dams

The public comment period concluded this week for the Columbia Snake River dam operations, following several public sessions. The Port of Whitman submitted a letter last week to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in regard to the matter.

The public sessions were slated after a federal judge’s ruling re-opened the question of environmental impact of Columbia and Snake river dams. Judge Michael Simon, United States District Judge for Oregon, ruled in May of 2016 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation had violated the National Environmental Policy Act “by failing to prepare an environmental impact statement in connection with their records of decision adopting the reasonable and prudent alternatives described in the biological opinion issued by NOAA Fisheries in 2014.”

NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

The meetings were organized as part of the Corps of Engineers’ efforts to draft an environmental impact statement (EIS) by March 2020.

The EIS will focus on the impact of potentially removing the dams along the Columbia River system, which includes 14 dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

The Port in its letter last week emphasized the importance of the dams.

“The dams were designed and constructed for fish passage. Since the time of their construction, a great deal has been learned and implemented to improve the system,” the letter read. “...There are now more fish in the river than at any time since the dams were built.”

Removing the dams would be costly, the letter stated.

“The region’s current hydropower infrastructure was constructed at considerable expense over several decades. The system produces no greenhouse gases. Replacing the system would be a huge undertaking at great expense. In addition to the replacement cost involved, alternative non-carbon producing power sources such as solar and wind are not suitable as a primary power source due to their intermittent character.”

In addition to the monetary costs, the Port also cited the public safety and navigation costs. The Columbia Snake River System currently moves more than four million tons of cargo on the Snake River, and “the system leads the west coast in the export of wood products and bulk minerals, is second in the nation for soy exports, and is first in the nation for exporting wheat.” In addition, the Port said it is important to keep barging activities.

“The rail system in the region is suffering from a lack of capacity. More trucks on the highway mean more congestion and more passenger traffic accident. Increased safety risk will result from shifts to other modes of shipping,” the letter read.

The letter also cited a 2007 U.S. Maritime Administration study.

“The study also examined the effect of closing a major river to barging and concluded that after ten years, injuries and fatalities on the surrounding highways rose 36-45 percent from the increased congestion.”

All three Port commissioners signed the letter, and some of them plus some of the Port staff indicated they would be sending individual letters as well.

“The input that they get here is going to determine their scope for the next three to five years,” said Port Commissioner Tom Kammerzell.

The Corps has until March 2020 to draft the EIS, and it is due in its final form in September 2021.