Read our whitepaper on the severe limitations of the LSRDs to address peaking power and other issues called: Claims of Sustained Peaking, Ramping, Reserve, Flexibility and Balancing Power from the lower Snake River Dams; What Is Feasible Waddel et al (Dec. 2020)
It is a common misconception that the four lower Snake River dams cannot be breached without new Congressional appropriations. To the contrary, the Bonneville Power Administration can use the Northwest Power Act, 16 U.S.C. §839–839h, to fund breaching of the lower Snake River dams. Learn how by reading our short paper HERE.
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Jim Waddell, the founder of DamSense and a tireless advocate for the Pacific Northwest. If you knew Jim, you know the magnitude of this loss–not just for the movement to breach the Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) but also for our community. We will remember Jim […]
On April 24, 2023, the Clallam County Public Utilities District passed a landmark resolution “Supporting Breaching the Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) to Aid Recovery of Threatened and Endangered Salmon, Steelhead and Southern Resident Orca, Provide Justice to Northwest Tries, and Investment in a Sustainable, Equitable Future.” Clallam PUD is the first to pass a […]
As support for executive action to breach the lower Snake River dams grows, the published law review article “The US President and Army Corps’ Discretion and Authority with Regard to Executive Action in Furtherance of Breaching the Lower Snake River Dams” provides an in depth analysis of the legal basis for doing so. You can read […]
Paulette Jordan (Coeur d’Alene Tribe), Save the American Salmon, Jordan Coalition, DNC Council on the Environment & Climate Crisis, Director of Native American Engagement; Jim Waddell, Civil Engineer, US Army Corps (Retired); Chris Pinney, Senior Fisheries Biologist, Walla Walla District, US Army Corps (Retired); and Ken Balcomb, Director, Center for Whale Research are calling for […]
Our Mitigation Plan 2020 report shows dam breaching plus mitigation can be done for approximately $500-750 million. This report outlines various mitigation features that will or could be required upon breaching the four lower Snake River dams (LSRDs). Mitigation is based on the assumption that all four dams are breached by removing their earthen berms […]
The reservoirs formed by the lower Snake River dams produce significant amounts of methane (a potent greenhouse gas) — adding to the list of reasons why a hydropower is not “clean” energy. Since 2016, Dam Sense has been analyzing government (including Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “IPCC”), and other scientific, data on the production of […]
An amicus curiae (“friend of court”) is not a party to the legal case. Amicus briefs are meant to provide additional information, expertise or insight to the court to assist with decision-making. An Amicus brief filed by Jim Waddell and a collective of experts – Chris Pinney, Deborah Giles, Ken Balcomb, and Rod Sando – […]
As fish returned to spawning grounds on the Snake River this year, they passed through eight dams and were counted through a PIT tag detection system at Lower Granite Dam. Fish counted in 2021 reflect the enduring decline of salmonids in the river, with sustained negative implications for the food chain they are a part […]