Representative Mike Simpson (R) proposed breaching four dams along the Snake River to rescue the endangered Snake River sockeye salmon. The breaches would take place in 2030-31 and are estimated to cost over $33 billion. This comes after over 30 years of research and $17 billion in failed alternative recovery attempts. Breaching the dams along the Snake River is the right decision from both an ecological and economic standpoint.

Opponents to breaching the dams argue that the economic and ecological costs are not worth the benefits. “The clean, renewable power generated by the dams along the Columbia and Snake Rivers supplies half of the Pacific Northwest’s energy and is critical for a reliable power grid” said northwest Republican Representatives Russ Fulcher, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Dan Newhouse, and Jaime Herrera Beutler, “Without it, life as we know it in our region would cease to exist.” As the impacts of climate change deepen, it is true that the need for carbon-free energy production is crucial. It is also true that there are unknowns about how breaching these dams will impact communities and businesses along the river.

The harsh reality of climate change is that implementing clean, renewable energy is a global initiative that requires interventions with impacts far greater than these dams’ 1000-megawatt hours of energy. The dams’ energy is carbon-free, but studies suggest that reservoirs are major producers of methane, another greenhouse gas, and are not a cost-effective way to produce energy. Further, given the near decade until de-construction begins, life as we know it has time for ethical transformation and makes room for a promise of a sustainable future for wildlife and communities that depend on that wildlife for their way of life.

Simpson’s almost $34 billion proposal carefully addresses the many externalities that would come from this initiative. $1.8 million would go toward the actual removal of the dams, $2 billion to river and fish recovery, and $10 billion toward replacing the lost power. The communities affected by removing the dams will get $1 billion for community redevelopment $2.3 billion to transform industries now using the river for shipping and transportation, and $750 million will be granted to those using the Snake River for irrigation. While the cost of this proposal is large, much of that money will be returned over time.

A University of Idaho study suggests that breaching these dams will provide energy cost savings of $12 million to $2 billion over the first 10 years and $2 billion to $5 billion over 20 years. The biggest transformation, however, is in the recreation and tourism sectors, as removing the dams is expected to ultimately produce up to a five-fold increase, between $2 and $7 billion, over ten years. While these benefits will take years to catch up to the initial costs,

nearly all the returns on this federal investment will go back to the local economy. This provides massive stimulus to the northwest region and allows new prosperity that otherwise would not be possible.

There is a closing window in which to rescue the Snake River sockeye salmon from extinction. Whether a person cares most about global conservation issues or strengthening their local community, breaching these dams is the right thing to do. After weighing the economic and ecological costs, this choice is clear and deserves bi-partisan support. It is true that this proposal will change life as we know it, but in far better ways than have been in the discussion so far.

This letter was written by Randall Gordy, Kortney Cose, and Rituraj Yadav, students in Tesa Stegner’s ISU Environmental Economics class.