I was thrilled to see
this diary on the front page tonight.
In reading the enlightened comments to this diary, I found that because I live in the area affected, my comments aren't credible. I never knew that, but since now I do, you're warned to disbelieve anything I say below.
With that disclaimer, I think dam breaching to "save the salmon" is the most hare-brained idea I've heard in a long time, and one likely to cause great damage to Dem chances in the West. You can read my fantastic, unbelievable claims below.
First, would breaching dams save salmon? Maybe, if it didn't disrupt the extensive programs already under way to improve salmon spawning and restore populations. Dams fund a lot of that, but then you already knew that.
Dams need to be Federally licensed, and the two dams closest to me (one not on the Columbia) are just completing relicensing. Environmental impact (including things like water flow, water turbidity, water levels, and salmon bypasses upstream and downstream) is a major feature of relicensing. Some groups use threats of dam breachings to strengthen their bargaining position during relicensing procedures, where there are major issues and dollars involved. I've followed some of this closely - it's not the cosmetic review you might think it is.
One other issue raised is the distinction between wild and hatchery raised fish. I'm no biologist, but I've been told by people involved (who I believe were well-intentioned) that the biggest problem is that you can't reliably tell hatchery from wild fish when they return to spawn. Someone who knows more can enlighten me on that.
Why I think this is hare-brained is what dam-breaching implies:
- Increased oil consumption, increased CO2 emissions or another fiasco like WPPSS.
- Greatly increased electricity rates up and down the west coast - frequent brownouts and blackouts (one contributing factor to the last crisis was lack of snow in the Cascades, and you thought that was bad).
- Increased unemployment in WA state (already one of the highest states for unemployment) esp in the aluminum industry, but in nearly every other business in E WA. Higher prices for aluminum, higher prices for beer - need I say more?
- Increases in the price of wheat throughout the west and the destruction of a lot of the WA State apple industry (and probably the nascent vineyard industry).
- Destruction of waterways (esp riverbanks) in E WA.
- A lifetime guarantee of R domination of WA-04 and WA-05 just by bringing the subject up again and putting the Rs on the right side of the issue. If I thought dam breaching was a serious proposal on the Dem side, I'd vote Republican, something I have never done in 34 years of voting.
Yeah, I know, electricity comes out of the wall, and apples come from the store and water just falls from the sky.
A few simple supporting facts: dams generate electricity - a lot, and it all goes into one big grid - and irrigation . In fact the one small dam on the Chelan river is more than enough to supply my community (we sell most of it to you, and it is "we", because "we" own the dams you're talking about, but you knew that).
Apples in WA and wheat in WA and OR grow in the desert. My county alone (about 11 inches of rainfall annually - mostly as snow) ships over a million cases of apples each year. Western commodities transport most cheaply to Portland by barge (but we don't need those exports anyway - might make the dollar too strong and worse, cut diesel emissions and oil consumption). Dams make the rivers navigable, locks bypass the dams.
My sincerest wish is that people would educate themselves on an issue before letting their righteous indignation take hold. But then I suppose I can find people here who think cutting down trees is a bad thing too.
Could be worse - my original title was "Why I fucking hate liberals and will stop calling myself one". But for God's sake, save those fish by focusing on the stupidest solution possible.