In Our View: Dam proposal provides framework for debate The Columbian
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A proposal from Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, regarding the future of four dams along the Lower Snake River needs robust debate and thoughtful consideration. It does not need churlish infighting designed to distract from the issues.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, is wise not to be drawn into the internecine squabble that has erupted. Herrera Beutler has been vocal in her opposition to the plan and articulate in her reasoning why the dams should remain; she need not distract from those topics, as some of her colleagues have done.
Feud breaks out among GOP lawmakers over dams
Water moves through a spillway of the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River near Almota, Washington, in 2018. Some Republican members of Congress are accusing an Idaho lawmaker of conducting secret negotiations with the governor of Oregon over a controversial proposal to breach four dams on the Snake River to save endangered salmon runs. (AP File Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios)
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Some Republican members of Congress from the Northwest are accusing a GOP Idaho lawmaker of conducting secret negotiations with the Democratic governor of Oregon over a controversial proposal to breach four dams on the Snake River to save endangered salmon runs.
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SPOKANE, Wash. Some Republican members of Congress from the Northwest are accusing a GOP Idaho lawmaker of conducting secret negotiations with the Democratic governor of Oregon over a controversial proposal to breach four dams on the Snake River to save endangered salmon runs.
But Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, replied that he has for several years been telling “everyone who would listen” about his proposal for a comprehensive solution to save salmon.
“How is that secret?” Simpson asked this week. “My staff has had discussions with nearly every governor, member of Congress, and U.S. senator in the Columbia Basin on this proposal.”
Feud breaks out among GOP lawmakers over Snake River dams, talks with Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
Updated May 06, 2021;
Posted May 06, 2021
In this April 11, 2018, file photo, water moves through a spillway of the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River near Almota, Wash. Some Republican members of Congress from the Northwest are accusing a GOP Idaho lawmaker of conducting secret negotiations with the Democratic governor of Oregon over a controversial proposal to breach four dams on the Snake River to save endangered salmon runs.AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios, File
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SPOKANE, Wash. Some Republican members of Congress from the Northwest are accusing a GOP Idaho lawmaker of conducting secret negotiations with the Democratic governor of Oregon over a controversial proposal to breach four dams on the Snake River to save endangered salmon runs.