Trump Dam Reaction Pt 2
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Reactions are many after President Trump calls for removal of the Biden Administration’s Columbia River Taskforce aimed at removal of the Lower Snake River Dams.
U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse says blaming the dams for dwindling salmon returns is narrow minded …
NEWHOUSE … “All up and down the west coast, rivers that have dams in place and rivers that don’t have similar return numbers for salmon. And so, I think it’s, the dams don’t tell the whole story as far as the challenges that the salmon are facing.”
Newhouse says there are other contributing factors we could address …
NEWHOUSE … “Ocean conditions is one, certainly habitat, breeding grounds, you know, the fish hatcheries have been a strong effort that we can continue working on. Predators, that’s a huge part of the salmon survival issue.”
And now, Newhouse says is the right time to get working on these …
NEWHOUSE … “I’m thinking that the momentum truly is on the side of the dams, that we have way more reasons to keep the dams than we do to take them out. And if we continue to improve the fish situation, which I’m committed to do, I think that’s going to be the best thing we can do to ensure their continued existence.”
During his tenure in Congress, Newhouse has led the charge in combating efforts to breach the four Lower Snake River dams.
