Bentz part of GOP lawmakers’ feud over proposal to breach 4 Snake River dams
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Some Republican members of Congress from the Northwest are accusing an Idaho lawmaker of conducting secret negotiations with the Democratic governor of Oregon over a controversial proposal to breach four dams on the Snake River to save endangered salmon runs.
But Idaho's Republican Rep. Mike Simpson says he has for several years been telling “everyone who would listen” about his proposal for a comprehensive solution to save salmon.
“How is that secret?” Simpson asked this week. “My staff has had discussions with nearly every governor, member of Congress, and U.S. senator in the Columbia Basin on this proposal.”
Simpson’s plan to remove the Ice Harbor, Little Goose, Lower Granite, Lower Monumental dams also includes a 35-year moratorium on lawsuits, ending costly litigation over the dams’ environmental impact. That provision prompted more than a dozen Northwest environmental groups to oppose the plan. Democratic lawmakers have also been lukewarm to the proposal.
On Wednesday, Washington Republican Reps. Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Oregon Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz issued a strongly worded press statement upon learning of a Freedom of Information Act release detailing coordination between the offices of Simpson and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown regarding the proposal to breach the four dams.
“For months, Rep. Simpson has been speaking with us about his sweeping dam-breaching proposal, touting transparency and an open process while telling us it was simply a ‘legislative concept’ for the Northwest delegation to consider,” the lawmakers, who oppose breaching the dams, said.
“What he didn’t tell us was that he has been coordinating for months with Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s staff behind the scenes to shepherd his proposal through Congress with little to no support from Pacific Northwest representatives – Republican or Democrat,” the lawmakers said.
“It’s clear this proposal is not just a starting point, but rather a radical and fully-baked plan he is actively seeking to put into law,” they said.
The three Republicans also suggest Simpson’s discussions with Brown could hurt an agreement signed last year by the governors of Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana to work together on solving an issue that has bedeviled the Northwest for decades.
The documents were released in response to a public information request by the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group that opposes Simpson’s plan.
“We rarely agree with Rep. Newhouse, but when it comes to removing the Snake River dams, we too insist that there must be a transparent, open process that involves all stakeholders,” said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “A deal made behind closed doors with just the good ol’ boys will be worse for salmon, worse for the river and worse for the region.”
Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/mt-state-wire-dams-government-and-politics-environment-and-nature-53bd882497d748c11e93f57a7327f05e
