Congress blocks federal research into dam removal on Snake River
H.R. 2073 — Defending our Dams Act · Filed by Dan Newhouse (R-WA) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Mar 11, 2025 · Hearing held
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What it does
This bill prohibits the federal government from spending money to study, breach, or functionally alter four dams on the Lower Snake River in Washington State (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite). It also requires the Secretary of the Army and the Bonneville Power Administration to jointly approve any spillage operations on these dams. The bill blocks federal funding for dam removal research and technical assistance while centralizing control over dam operations.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a funding prohibition and operational veto that prevents federal research into dam removal and centralizes spillage-operation approval. While framed as 'defending' dams, it functions as a legislative lock-in of current dam operations and a restriction on public investment in studying alternatives.
What the text implies
- Blocks federal funding for environmental impact studies on dam removal, preventing public access to research on salmon restoration tradeoffs and ecosystem recovery.
- Centralizes spillage-operation approval in two federal agencies (Army Corps and Bonneville Power Administration), reducing transparency and public participation in decisions affecting fisheries, power generation, and flood control.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
hydroelectric power generators (Bonneville Power Administration customers); irrigation districts dependent on dam water storage; navigation interests using dam-created reservoirs