The cost of breaching is affordable and the funds are available – Congress not needed. The infrastructure can be decommissioned and secured by creating a channel bypass, washing away the earthen berms around the concrete structures. This will allow salmon the cooler water and free-flowing access they need.
Under the NW Power Act, the cost can be paid via the Bonneville Fund and Columbia River Fish Mitigation Program, which offers a 22% credit against the BPA treasury debt. After deliberately wasting decades and billions, BPA and its ratepayers would end up saving money by breaching now.
Laws under which dams can be challenged, including treaties as ethical and legal claim.
The White House and the Army Corp of Engineers already have the authority and duty to act in accordance with existing research and pending lawsuits. In addition to subverting tribal sovereignty, the LSRD are out of compliance with ACOE’s own mandate, the Northwest Power Act, and the National Environmental Protection Act.
The Corps can use their own 2002 Environmental Impact Statement with an updated Record of Decision (ROD) and put the Lower Snake River Dams into “non-operational” status without congressional approval.
The Breach
The cost of breaching is affordable and the funds are available – Congress not needed. The infrastructure can be decommissioned and secured by creating a channel bypass, washing away the earthen berms around the concrete structures. This will allow salmon the cooler water and free-flowing access they need.
Under the NW Power Act, the cost can be paid via the Bonneville Fund and Columbia River Fish Mitigation Program, which offers a 22% credit against the BPA treasury debt. After deliberately wasting decades and billions, BPA and its ratepayers would end up saving money by breaching now.
The Laws
Laws under which dams can be challenged, including treaties as ethical and legal claim.
The Authority
The White House and the Army Corp of Engineers already have the authority and duty to act in accordance with existing research and pending lawsuits. In addition to subverting tribal sovereignty, the LSRD are out of compliance with ACOE’s own mandate, the Northwest Power Act, and the National Environmental Protection Act.
The Corps can use their own 2002 Environmental Impact Statement with an updated Record of Decision (ROD) and put the Lower Snake River Dams into “non-operational” status without congressional approval.
Articles and Documents
Lower Snake River Dams Breach Mitigation Plan & Cost
December 2020 Prepared by Jim Waddell, Civil Engineer, USACE Retired, John Twa., ME., Chris Pinney, Fish Biologist USACE Walla Walla, Retired 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
Waddell Amicus Brief Seeks Immediate Dam Breaching
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
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