IV
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 63
Expressing the sense of the Congress opposing removal of dams on the
Columbia and Snake Rivers for fishery restoration purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 18, 1999
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington (for himself, Mr. NETHERCUTT, Mr. WALDEN,
Mrs. CHENOWETH, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. HANSEN,
Mr. POMBO, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr. SKEEN, and Mr. DOOLITTLE) sub-
mitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress opposing removal of
dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers for fishery
restoration purposes.
Whereas approximately 75 percent of the Pacific Northwest’s
electricity used to create and maintain jobs is provided by
Columbia and Snake River system dams, which generate
renewable energy without creating any air or water pollu-
tion;
Whereas the Corps of Engineers estimates that the flood con-
trol provided by the dams on the Columbia and Snake
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River system prevented $4,600,000,000 in damages from
potential floods in 1996 and 1997;
Whereas the Columbia and Snake River system, located in
the States of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, is an es-
sential transportation link for United States exports of
all types of products, including transporting 43 percent
of all United States wheat exports in 1997;
Whereas replacing the power currently generated by the dams
on the Columbia and Snake Rivers would result in sig-
nificant increases in costs to consumers and could cause
significant harm to the economy of the Pacific North-
west;
Whereas water collected in the Columbia and Snake River
system irrigates half the productive farmland in Oregon,
Washington, and Idaho, despite the fact that only a net
7 percent of the total flows in that system are diverted
for all human uses;
Whereas producers who ship their products on the Columbia
and Snake River system save approximately $38,000,000
per year over land based transportation, a savings which
keeps United States exports competitive on world mar-
kets;
Whereas the Columbia and Snake River system allows large
volumes of freight to be moved with negligible impact on
air quality, and replacing this transportation capacity
would require use of 120,000 rail cars or 700,000 trucks;
Whereas recent studies by the National Marine Fisheries
Service indicate that the survival rates of salmon and
steelhead migrating down the Columbia and Snake River
system have stayed the same or increased since 1961,
even as four dams were added to the Snake River;
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Whereas the Federal interagency group known as the Plan
for Analyzing and Testing Hypotheses Group concluded
that removing four dams on the lower Snake River could
not guarantee meeting established fish recovery targets
for fishery restoration; and
Whereas improved fish hatchery processes, including fish ac-
climation processes, have resulted in the first successful
run of coho salmon on the Yakima River in 3 decades:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That—
(1) the dams on the Columbia and Snake River
system provide tremendous economic and environ-
mental benefits to the United States that should be
retained;
(2) plans for the recovery of federally protected
fish species in the Columbia and Snake River Sys-
tem should not rely on dam removal schemes;
(3) efforts to maintain healthy and sustainable
populations of resident and anadromous fish in the
Columbia and Snake Rivers must address all the
factors impacting species population and health, in-
cluding ocean conditions, harvest levels, predation,
and passage around and through hydroelectric
projects; and
(4) any comprehensive fish recovery plan for
the Columbia and Snake River system must be
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based on sound data and consider the economic and
social costs associated with changes to the manage-
ment and use of the river infrastructure.
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