Re: “Biden administration pledges $1 billion extra for salmon, clear power — however bets on Decrease Snake River dam elimination in large deal” [Dec. 14, Local News]:
The Biden administration’s latest announcement of help for the eventual breach of the 4 Snake River dams is a milestone in Pacific Northwest historical past. Federal businesses are dedicated to working with state governments, energy corporations, environmental teams and, most significantly, Northwest tribes to revive near-extinct salmon runs and thereby improve the meals provide for Puget Sound killer whales.
Opponents will argue that it prioritizes fish and wildlife over human use of the river, and that it is a “victory” for radical environmentalists over everybody else. However it is a harmful, false dichotomy that should be rejected. Restoring the Snake River to its pure state is a win for everybody within the Pacific Northwest. Eradicating the 4 dams will restore a world-class fishery, ignite the event of fresh rail transport and energy technology, and glory – lastly! — treaties with a number of Northwest tribes that successive federal governments have violated for many years and, in some circumstances, centuries.
As Aldo Leopold argues in his essay “The Land Ethic,” an motion is true when it preserves “the integrity, stability, and great thing about the biotic neighborhood.” The “biotic neighborhood” consists of everybody, not simply “environmentalists”; and everybody will profit from reclaiming a wild Snake River.
Michael W. Shurgot, Seattle