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Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association
Policy Memorandum
OPEN LETTER
March 25, 2019
To: WA House Appropriations Committee Chair Timm Ormsby,
Rep. Bruce Chandler, and Appropriations Committee Members
From: Rob Mercer, CSRIA President
Darryll Olsen, Ph.D., CSRIA Board Representative
Subject: CSRIA Firmly Opposes State Funding for:
Lower Snake River Dam Breaching/Drawdown Studies
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Within the proposed State Biennium Operations Budget for 2019-2021 (HB-1109), all
proposed state funding should be eliminated for any type of dam breaching/drawdown
review, for the Lower Snake River Projects.
There is no wisdom, none, in funding this “study,” and it should be recognized for what
it really portrays: legislative or gubernatorial support for Lower Snake River dam
breaching/drawdowns.
Washington State is, supposedly, a defendant-intervener in the current Columbia River
ESA Biological Opinion lawsuit, where the state of Oregon, Earthjustice, et al., have
forced the fifth remand of federal hydro system operations, per U.S. Federal Dist.
(Oregon) Judge Michael Simon’s order.
Funding a dam breaching study is not defending state interests; the action is roughly
akin to just sending a $750,000 check to the dam breaching proponents to fund their
propaganda efforts.
Before you take final legislative action on the State Operations Budget, kill the dam
studies.
CSRIA 3030 W. Clearwater, Ste. 205-A, Kennewick, WA 99336
509-783-1623 [email protected]
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