Without the extra water, more young salmon will die. There has been some talk in recent months about increasing the use of alternative sources of power, but not a lot of action. Washington legislators are considering bills that would require utilities to use some energy from renewable sources, like wind or solar power, or at least require utilities to offer renewable energy to customers. Some utilities already do that, charging green-minded customers higher rates for wind or solar power. The world's largest wind power facility, located south of Walla Walla, Wash., is scheduled to begin generating power later this year.
Nuclear power is also an option being studied by lawmakers.
But it would take years and billions of dollars to build new nuclear plants, or even finish an unfinished nuclear reactor on the Hanford reservation.