Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is pressing the nation’s grid watchdog to approve the destruction of four hydroelectric dams on the West Coast to protect salmon fisheries and restore the natural splendor of the region.
Jewell sought to intervene in the decision-making process by sending a letter Monday to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the independent agency that oversees the nation’s interstate energy markets, including the siting and permitting decisions related to hydropower.
The Klamath River Basin, where the four dams are located in Oregon, has sustained Indian tribes “since time immemorial,” Jewell wrote. “Once home to the third-largest salmon runs on the West Coast, the river and the fishery it supports are at the core of the cultural, spiritual and economic well-being of six federally recognized Indian tribes.
“While these dams brought prosperity to many, their construction came at a steep cost to tribes and fishing communities,” she added. “The returning runs of salmon repeatedly bludgeoning themselves against the new dam walls were a harbinger of a declining fishery that cast a cloud over those who, for millennia, have called the Klamath home.
“More than 100 years later, we have a unique opportunity to restore this magnificent river,” she said in asking the agency to destroy the dams.
The decision before FERC has to do with whether to approve the sale of the four dams owned by PacifiCorp to a consortium formed by federal, local, state and tribal governments, which plans to remove the dams to restore the river basin.
Critics of the Obama administration’s energy strategy have said it favors the development of wind and solar power plants over all other renewable energy resources that it considers conventional and is specifically prejudiced against hydroelectric dams even though they provide more electricity than most other renewable resources.
Jewell’s letter stoked the ire of one of Congress’ top Republican lawmakers, Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, who is chairman of the committee with direct oversight over Jewell’s agency, saying the administration has gotten its priorities backward.
“In the absence of announcements from the administration to move forward on long-delayed water projects, this symbolizes they are more concerned with removing water infrastructure than building it,” Bishop said. “Our nation is missing out on cheaper, cleaner and more abundant sources of energy while drought-stricken communities grasp for much-needed water storage, thanks to the administration’s narrow-mindedness.”
Local opposition to the planned sale and destruction of the dams has forced the decision onto the Nov. 8 ballot, allowing voters to have the final say on the matter. If the ballot initiative is approved, it would be used to discourage the electric commission from approving the application.
Jewell emphasized in her letter that “dam removal must be undertaken” to protect all uses of the river, including farming and ranching. “In short, dam removal can re-write a painful chapter in our history, and it can be done in a manner that protects the many interests in the basin.”
