
Pam Clough
Former Advocate, Environment Washington
The Biden administration’s announcement to restore river habitats and produce local clean energy is an important step in protecting wildlife
The Biden administration announced new partnerships on Thursday Dec. 14th, backed by federal dollars, that will focus on restoring salmon in the Pacific Northwest. This is great news, extending beyond salmon.
Granted, restoring salmon alone is worthy of applause, but healthier salmon numbers also will benefit starving Southern Resident orcas, which number only 75 in their latest census and depend on salmon as their primary food source.
Here’s the main thrust of the announcement:
The importance of #2 is that new clean energy can replace energy produced by the Lower Snake River dams, and would, as the White House fact sheet says, “provide the region options should Congress choose to consider dam breach.” The administration notes that it isn’t “making a judgment on whether to breach the dams, nor does it have the authority to do so; that authority resides with Congress.”
We, however, do make that judgment. Breaching the dams in the Snake is the most important action we can take to recover salmon populations and restore river and ocean ecosystems. We’ve called for it for years, starting with the work of Environment Washington’s late director, Bruce Speight.
The idea of breaching dams is gaining momentum, slowly.
It can feel somewhat unnatural to take away a means of producing energy; after all, we all need energy. But the reality is that energy — clean energy in particular — is becoming more and more abundant. And this abundance gives us options, including the option of saving salmon and orcas, and restoring nature.
In sum, a big thank you to the Biden administration on this one, and let’s keep pushing.
Former Advocate, Environment Washington
Senior Director, Conservation America Campaign, Environment America