On Friday, the federal government released it’s Final Environmental Impact Statement regarding the four lower Snake River dams. These dams and their respective reservoirs contribute significantly to the ongoing collapse of Snake River threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead. Snake River Dams (LSRDs) — but BPA has chosen to await the results of a federal court-ordered Environmental Impact Study due in 2021 to determine the LSRDs’ fate. BPA administers electrical power from the Snake River dams and Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. The four Lower Snake River dam and reservoir projects are Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite and are located in eastern Washington. . The Lower Snake River Dams produce some of the highest cost power in the BPA system. READ ON. . Almost all industries that once used the LSR for freight transportation have abandoned the river, and freight volumes have declined by over 50%. BPA could also publicly recognize that it cannot compete in the power market with a burdensome 33% add-on cost for fish and wildlife mitigation that its competitors do not face, and that its customer base will dwindle after 2028 when its 20-year contracts with many of its preferred customers end. Two turbines (Ice Harbor) are presently being rehabbed at a cost approaching $100 million. . Fitch Ratings, along with Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s one of the nation’s top three bond rating agencies, notes that at the end of FY 2015, BPA had $395 million in its power business reserves, with estimates of reserves in 2017 of just $11 million. While this paper describes some of the economic, financial, and biological reasons for breaching the LSRDs, its primary purpose is to show . On June 25, 2020, Benton PUD Board of Commissioners passed a resolution in support of the Federal Columbia River Power System and the Four Lower Snake River Dams. The status quo on the lower Snake River is no longer cast in concrete. While it’s great when it is available, the wind can’t be relied on to blow at the precise time the region needs power and it’s also tremendously variable; during the worst of the cold weather, wind generation ranged from 3,370 MW to 74 MW. . The Bonneville Power Administration’s future has begun to look like that of the Clearwater River’s wild B-run steelhead, with declines in both connected to the lower Snake River dams. With that dismal outlook, we must consider the issue of the four lower Snake River (LSR) dams. After nearly 20 years of mitigation efforts and the expenditure of billions of ratepayer dollars, some Snake River … Most of the BPA hydro, including from the lower Snake River, serves public power utilities in the Northwest under long term contracts. BPA funded Kintama Research is simply trying to create a debate in order to keep the Snake River dams in place. They point to a 2017 report from the Fish Passage Center — an independent research entity funded by BPA by law — that concluded removing four dams on the Lower Snake River, increasing spill over other dams, would lead to a fourfold increase in the number of fish. Kraftwerk in der Kette von insgesamt 17 Wasserkraftwerken am Snake River, einem linken Nebenfluss des Columbia Rivers.Der Snake River bildet an dieser Stelle die Grenze zwischen dem Franklin und dem Walla Walla County. The dams span about 110 river miles of the lower Snake, from near its confluence with the Columbia River. Das Kraftwerk Lower Granite (englisch Lower Granite Lock and Dam) ist ein Laufwasserkraftwerk im Bundesstaat Washington, USA.Es ist die 15. Now, they’re ready to sue. In the event of an extended cold snap or another power plant shutting down unexpectedly, the lower Snake dams can produce in excess of 2,650 MW of energy over a sustained period of 10 hours per day for five consecutive days. Federal agencies have finalized a plan that will keep the Snake River Dams in place. In providing a 2017 “negative rating outlook” for BPA-backed bonds, Fitch Ratings noted that BPA “faces the issue of aging infrastructure and delayed capital investment.” The agency has “high debt burden, rate pressures, and financial variability of net margins for a hydroelectric utility.” Fitch Ratings summarized: “In recent years the competitive margin between Bonneville’s power rates and market alternatives compressed due to very low natural gas prices, increased generation from renewables, declining energy demands in the region and increasing costs at Bonneville.”. . Mainzer said he views the Snake River dams as an integral part of the federal hydropower system that produces carbon-free electricity. 1,190 aMW Lower Granite Dam — capacity 810 MW, energized 1975 The Role of Columbia/Snake River in Providing Prey for Orcas BPA Statement: “While we recognize that Southern Resident Killer Whales utilize Columbia and Snake River stocks, they are really not the limiting prey for these species. The reservoir behind the dam is named Lake Celilo and runs 24 miles (39 km) up the river channel, to the foot of John Day Dam.The dam is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the power is marketed by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). In 2018 and into the future, with less demand and falling prices, BPA’s spot power revenues will likely continue to decline. Lower Snake River Dams (LSRDs). Mainzer said the Lower Snake River impoundments are among the lowest-cost dams in the system. The dams have a benefit-to-cost ratio of 15¢ on the dollar. Including just the dams listed below, there are 60 dams in the watershed, with 14 on the Columbia, 20 on the Snake, seven on the Kootenay, seven on the Pend Oreille/ Clark, two on the Flathead, eight on the Yakima, and two on the Owyhee. Meanwhile, the cost of PNW wind and solar energy continues its steady decline, and the owners of new power-hungry server farms (e.g. Removal of the dams would take about 730 megawatts of energy from the carrying capability of the BPA, Paschal said. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 7th Power Plan, released in 2016, acknowledged a 16% power surplus in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and concluded that any increased demand over the next 20 years will be made up entirely through conservation. Conservation and fishing groups say the federal government’s newest plans to manage dams and protect salmon is inadequate. Given the information covered in this report, we suggest the Lower Snake River dams continue to operate while BPA, Corps, and Reclamation continue to implement fish projects on the Lower Snake River dams. Once past Lower Granite Dam 30 miles west of Lewiston, over 5,000 miles of America’s best salmon and steelhead spawning rivers and streams await them. Lower Snake River Dam Breach Mitigation Plan and Cost 2020.. Economic Anthology: A Collection of Works 1.28.2019. Waiting for that to happen on its own will likely doom some Snake River wild salmon and steelhead populations. . The gold standard of salmon survival and recovery is smolt to adult return ratios (SARs). In this BPA scenario, one that closely resembles current reality, the agency would continue to feed the misinformation echo chamber perpetuated by the agency’s federal partners and the special interest groups that support freight navigation, hydropower and irrigation. Mitigation costs in FY 2016 were $622 million, reported to be 33% of BPA’s power production costs. It is part of an extensive system of dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.. New breakthroughs in power production and distribution over the next few years will also undoubtedly impact this situation and may inevitably sway the direction of decision-making regarding the LSR dams. Linwood Laughy Moscow, Idaho lochsalaughy@yahoo.com. Reputable studies have concluded that the biggest factor in the continued decline of Snake River salmon and steelhead is the hydroelectric system of dams. Burdened by a 33% overhead cost not experienced by its competitors, falling demand for its product, and fish recovery requirements it cannot meet, BPA faces stark challenges. Brad Little publicly blasted the legislative branch Friday, accusing lawmakers of “playing politics” with his coronavirus emergency declaration and threatening the lives of Idahoans. “The overall rate increase is primarily due to a lower-than-expected demand for power, a declining forecast of surplus power sales revenues due to lower market prices, and escalating costs of programs driven by legal requirements.” What lies behind these economic forces? If Kintama were correct that dams do not harm fish, we would not see salmon populations rebounding in many rivers where dams have been removed, such as on the Elwha River here in Washington and the Rogue River in Oregon. Now consider the following facts. In doing so, the Corps and BPA will avoid financial and biological losses, decrease power rates for Washington, and finally put an end to a + 25 year-long debate. Response: The Columbia Basin is one of the most important sources of sa lmon for the Southern Resident orcas. Recent below-normal temperatures have underscored the value of the Snake River dams as a Northwest power resource. Breaching the four lower Snake River dams and replacing their energy with zero‐carbon alternatives is the single biggest step we can take to secure abundant spring Chinook returns anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. Keeping them is just bad business. But James, the Bonneville deputy director, said BPA still needs the Lower Snake River dams in its empire of energy generation to help balance power supply and … Anlage in der Kette von insgesamt 18 Stauanlagen und Wasserkraftwerken am Snake River, einem linken Nebenfluss des Columbia Rivers.Der Snake River bildet an dieser Stelle die Grenze zwischen dem Garfield und dem Whitman County. Time is running out for BPA. By Courtney Flatt September 29, 2020. It is our opinionefficiency and demand response measures along with clean , hydropower can be implemented together to reach Washington’s clean energy goals. Here is what BPA found: 1) It will cost BPA’s ratepayers $400 million to $550 million a year to replace all the power capabilities lost through breaching the lower Snake River dams. Now, they’re ready to sue. . PNW wind energy alone has three times the capacity of all four LSR dams combined. These dams will be breached in the future due to the economics. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) was created by the federal government in 1937 to market and transmit the electricity generated by the 31 dams on the Columbia River and it’s tributaries, as well as the Hanford nuclear power plant in Washington. The April 2016 report “ Survival Estimates for the Passage of Spring-Migrating Juvenile Salmonids through Snake and Columbia River Dams and Reservoirs, 2015 ”, which was prepared by NOAA for BPA, showed just how bad it really was. In doing so, the Corps and BPA will avoid financial and biological losses, decrease power rates for Washington, and finally put an end to a + 25 year-long debate. But Simpson’s remarks dominated the conference. The future of salmon and steelhead runs in Idaho, both wild and hatchery, greatly depends upon the presence of a fish-friendly migratory corridor for both juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead. Final EIS Calls For Snake River Dams To Remain On Friday, the federal government released it’s Final Environmental Impact Statement regarding the four lower Snake River dams. The four Lower Snake River Dams are man-made structures with a finite lifetime. Supporting this alternative, BPA’s Large Capital Investment Forecast FY2016-FY2035 includes major investments in Grand Coulee and McNary dam turbines, but only limited amounts for the 4 LSR dams spread over the 20-year forecast period. BPA currently has a debt-to-asset ratio of 99% 3 —far more than any public utility in the country. . 2. Dams are listed in order from headwater (Two Oceans Plateau, WY) to mouth Columbia River, WA. This decision impacts the operations at the lower four Snake River dams by requiring the dams to spill more water, decreasing the electrical output of the dams and estimating an increase in cost of 2-3 percent. BPA’s 2018-2023 Strategic Plan 01.2018. . In this scenario, if the agency harbored any interest in being socially responsible, BPA management would advise communities in south-eastern Washington and north-central Idaho of the agency’s intent not to rehab the turbines in the LSR dams so the few industries that still use the river for freight transportation could accelerate the shift to rail that is already occurring. . Recent below-normal temperatures have underscored the value of the Snake River dams as a Northwest power resource. For example, BPA could support efforts to abolish the Endangered Species Act or join irrigators from the Ice Harbor pool in their effort to have the federal government allow wild Snake River salmon and steelhead become extinct. The four Lower Snake River projects have the ability to produce 3,033 MW of electricity at peak capacity for a short period of time if there is both high water storage and high river flows, according to the Lower Snake River Dams Stakeholder Engagement … Specifically, the letters request clarification from the BPA on eight questions no later than June 1, 2017. . Much of the year, BPA relies on the lower Snake River dams specifically to help meet these peak demands for energy. Its survival and ability to meet the “vast public responsibilities” to which it swears allegiance require immediate action. . The lower Snake River dams are Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite. 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