RESTORE WILD SALMON - REMOVE THE LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS

     September 21, 2016

RE: Snake River Dam Removal

Dear Administrator Mainzer, Commander Spellmon, and Director Lee:

Its past time to remove the four outdated, salmon-killing dams on the lower Snake River. This is an alternative you must consider fully and fairly in the court-ordered environmental impact statement you are preparing for managing the Columbia and Snake River dams.

When the critically endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) were listed as an endangered species back in 2005, the population total was 88 members across the three pods - J-pod, K-pod and L-pod.

In 2008, NOAA Fisheries released a 'recovery plan' that stated this population of SRKWs would need to increase 2.3% over 28 years in order to establish recovery — and eventually their removal from the endangered list.

Here we are -- eight years later -- and as of September the population currently stands at just 82 members. TOTAL. That is NOT a recovery, and in fact is a pretty significant decline. We’re going backwards.

Historically, the Columbia River wild salmon runs, above and below Bonneville Dam, once produced between 10 and 16 million salmon annually. Today, that number is a fraction of historical levels at just 1% return(s).

Scientific research has shown that the endangered SRKWs not only prefer Chinook salmon as their number one food of choice, which makes up approximately 80% of their diet, but utilize the mouth of the Columbia River as a main food source. 

We cannot continue to move forward in saving this critically endangered population of SRKWs with such unjustifiable and obvious lack of political will.

The SRKWs have shown us time and time again that they are up to the challenge to survive -- we must give this PNW totem species every opportunity to not only recover, but to exceed historic levels. We will not have many more opportunities in our lifetime to do so. 

 You must base your analysis of this alternative on the best available science about salmon and other species that depend on them, including endangered SRKWs. The analysis must also fully account for the market and non-market economic costs and benefits of dam removal, including the benefits of a restored river and the money tax- and rate-payers will save if the dams go. You must incorporate in your evaluation replacing the electricity from these dams with low-cost carbon-free power, not power from fossil fuels. And you must actually mitigate for the existing and future impacts of climate change on Snake River salmon.

The time is now to remove the four outdated, low-value, deadbeat dams on the lower Snake River. If we free the Snake, we can save the salmon, save the SRKWs, and bring about the biggest river restoration in history.

Thank you,

Shari TarantinoPresidentOrca ConservancySeattle, Washington206 379-0331www.orcaconservancy.org