Clallam PUD Passes Landmark Resolution for Lower Snake River Dam Breaching

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 dam breaching resolution, following its earlier decision to rescind a pro-dam resolution. Such actions by PUDs are significant because the PUDs purchase power from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and BPA  markets power from the lower Snake River dams.

DamSense founder Mr. Jim Waddell serves as a Clallam PUD Commissioner.

Passage of the resolution follows a comprehensive presentation by Mr. Waddell, in his individual capacity, on February 24, 2023 available HERE.

The resolution, among other statements, “affirms that there is a conclusive scientific basis for breaching the four lower Snake River dams as an essential step towards recovery of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead as well as Southern Resident orca populations” and expressly “supports breaching the lower Snake River dams”. It further recognizes that “within the challenges of breaching, opportunities to move forward existing, emerging, and other new technologies that benefit the state, the nation, and particularly small, remote, rural counties like Clallam, today and into the future, with clean resilient and independent energy resources for safe, reliable, and affordable electric power to PUD customers-shareholders.”

Read the full resolution HERE.