HomeMy WebLinkAbout030821_cabs01JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
Philip Morley, County Administrator
FROM: Julie Shannon, Executive Secretary II
DATE: March 8, 2021
SUBJECT: BRIEFING AND POTENTIAL ACTION re: Letter of Support for Columbia
Basin Plan and removal of Dams on the Snake River in Support of Salmon
Recovery
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
The Board will consider approval of a letter to Support the Columbia Basin Plan and removal of Dams on
the Snake River in support of Salmon Recovery
ANALYSIS:
n/a
FISCAL IMPACT:
n/a
RECOMMENDATION:
Discuss and possible approval of a Letter to Support the Columbia Basin Plan and removal of Dams on the
Snake River in support of Salmon Recovery.
' ' i '
ie�Morley, ty Administrator Date
March 1, 2021
The Honorable Representative Derek Kilmer
2059 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Congressman Kilmer,
We encourage your active support and participation in the process that's unfolding around
Congressman Mike Simpson's "Columbia Basin Fund" proposal regarding Snake and Columbia
River salmon, Northwest communities and regional infrastructure. We are motivated to write this
letter as active advocates of salmon recovery and supporters of the tribes in our region. We
should all raise our hands to ensure this proposal receives the early support it deserves.
This proposal is about restoring rivers and recovering salmon.
We've seen firsthand the benefits of restoring healthy rivers via the effects of the historic
removal of the dams on the Elwha River. Scientists have marveled at the recovery of the Elwha
ecosystem with salmon, steelhead and trout booming back over the past decade since dam
removal started in 2011. Regarding Mr. Simpson's proposal, local tribal leader W. Ron Allen,
chairman of the Jamestown S'Klallam tribe and a leader in fisheries management in the United
States and Canada, says the plan has promise. "From my perspective, it's a new kind of balance
... I'm not against dams. There are dams designed to be friendlier to salmon. These dams just
aren't," he said of the four barriers on the Lower Snake River. "They were developed fast in
order to generate cheaper power, and the time has come to develop other clean energy sources.
"This is the heavy lift Norm Dicks did with the Elwha times 10," Allen said, referring to the
retired congressman who pushed for removal of the two dams on that river.
It's also about bringing our region together to collaborate on a number of issues.
But it's not just the promise of salmon recovery that makes this proposal appealing. It is its
potential to bring our region together instead of leaving us divided. This proposal could move
Northwest people from a history of conflict to a future of collaboration. We commend you for
your commitment to working towards `broad consensus' grounded in best available science,
honoring tribal treaty rights and supporting the four governors' process.
(Continued)
Representative Kilmer
Page 2
March 1, 2021
It's a huge opportunity for our region.
The scale of the Columbia Basin plan reflects its tremendous role as a regional energy producer
and acknowledges the planned effects on fish runs to regional systems via investments in
revitalizing salmon habitat, rivers and streams in our local region including $125M for the
Washington Coast and $600M for Puget Sound.
In closing, over this past decade we have watched the recovery of the Elwha River ecosystem
unfold. We imagine that you agree with us that it has been breathtakingly exciting. Imagine if in
our lifetimes we work towards and watch a similar recovery in the Snake River - the Columbia
River's largest tributary. Takes your breath away doesn't it? We look forward to joining you in
this important collaborative work for the people and fish of our region.
Sincerely,
BOARD OF JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Kate Dean, Chair Greg Brotherton Heidi Eisenhour
District 1 District 3 District 2
Cc: US Senator Patty Murray
US Senator Maria Cantwell
US Congressman Mike Simpson
State Senator Kevin Van De Wege
State Representative Steve Tharinger
State Representative Mike Chapman
Chairman Ron Allen, Jamestown Tribe