Idaho Matters

The latest on the fate of the lower Snake River dams

A leaked plan from the Biden administration gave insight into a proposed agreement from the federal government that would spend billions of dollars to replace the energy that the four lower Snake River dams currently generate, plus spend more money to help save salmon in the Columbia Basin.

Broadcast on:: 14 Dec 2023

Several conservation and fishing groups say the Snake River dams are making the river too hot for sockeye salmon.( Bonneville Power Administration)

Since the online news site Clearing Up reported two weeks ago on a leaked Biden administration plan to remove the four lower Snake River dams, a lot has happened.

The leak took a peak at a proposed agreement from the federal government that would spend billions of dollars to replace the energy the dams currently generate plus spend more money to help save salmon in the Columbia Basin.

Since that leak, Idaho asked a court to decide if the courts could order the breaching of the dams as part of the Endangered Species Act. A house committee held an oversight hearing on the plan, and Thursday morning, Clearing Up reported the 30-year fight over salmon and dams may be done after a "negotiative session" where a final agreement was reached.

This all came before a Friday deadline to find a solution to the questions of dams, fish and energy.

Longtime environmental reporter Rocky Barker has been following this story, and he joined Idaho Matters for an update.