The Biden administration is negotiating a settlement with environmental groups to tear down four hydroelectric dams in Washington to protect salmon.
The government has developed a package of actions and commitments, which it has agreed to pause litigation with environmental activists.
The administration has engaged with plaintiff groups but has not endorsed tearing the dams down.
Rep. Dan Newhouse wrote to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, on behalf of several lawmakers, “We find it necessary to remind you Congress alone has the authority not only to order the breach of the Lower Snake River Dams, but also exclusive authority to direct the study of breaching or to authorize replacement resources.”
“This is statutory fact, and we warn the Administration not to attempt to circumvent that fact through clever wordsmithing,” charged the legislators.
The Public Power Council’s president wrote, “The people of the Pacific Northwest have really been let down by this so-called process being run by the Council on Environmental Quality.”
“Our non-profit, community-owned member utilities and their customers were never given a real chance from the get-go, as we just recently learned a few parties in the litigation were working secretly with the federal government for more than six months on a ‘package of actions and commitments,’” added the group.
The statement continued, “We can’t wait for the day when the current confidentiality gag order is lifted on those proposed actions and commitments and everyone gets to see for themselves the level of uncertainty and prospective new costs that are being proposed for Northwest citizens as a result of these secret dealings.
The removal of the dams would negatively impact energy production, climate goals, and transportation in Washington.
It would also disrupt the economy and harm agriculture exports.
The administration is committed to balancing the wildlife, agriculture, and clean energy needs of the region.
The details of the agreement with environmental groups remain confidential.
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