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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 10 June 2022
Replacing benefits of Snake River dams would cost billions

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS tect the dams, which are
Associated Press located in their districts.
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — “Breaching the four lower
The benefits provided by Snake River dams would be
four giant hydroelectric harmful to our communi-
dams on the lower Snake ties, our environment, and
River in Washington state our economy,” Newhouse
can be replaced if the said.
dams are breached to “What’s alarming is trying
save endangered salmon to breach them at a time
runs, according to a new when families in Eastern
report released Thursday. Washington are paying re-
But it would be expensive. cord-high energy costs just
Finding other ways to pro- to keep the lights on this
vide electricity, irrigation summer,” McMorris Rodg-
and enabling commerce ers said.
would cost between $10.3 But the chairman of the
billion and $27.2 billion, said Yakama Nation said the
the report commissioned dams must be breached.
by Washington Gov. Jay In- “Our people are salmon
slee, a Democrat, and U.S. people,” said tribal council
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. In this May 15, 2019 photo, the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near chairman Delano Saluskin.
The draft report does not Colfax, Wash. “When the salmon thrive,
make any recommenda- Associated Press we thrive; but when they
tions on whether the four suffer, our people suffer
dams should be breached. the value and importance original spawning grounds recreation opportunities for too.” Exploring the Colum-
A decision on that divisive of our iconic salmon runs— to procreate and die, the people, the report said. bia River Basin in 1805, Lew-
issue is expected later. In- and every community rec- report said. The dams have many sup- is and Clark wrote of wa-
stead, the report allows ognizes the importance of Major benefits of the dams porters, including two GOP terways so full with salmon
the public, tribes, river users salmon to our economy include making the Snake members of Congress rep- that you could all but walk
and other stakeholders to and cultural heritage,” River navigable up to resenting eastern Washing- across on their backs.
provide input over the next they said. “We each re- Lewiston, Idaho, allowing ton state. The dams are also In the late 1800s, up to 16
month that will inform that main firmly committed to barges to carry wheat and supported by barge com- million salmon and steel-
decision. saving our salmon.” other crops to ocean ports. panies, farmers and other head returned to the Co-
“We continue to approach Breaching the dams would Eliminating the dams would business interests. Breach- lumbia River Basin every
the question of breaching significantly improve the require truck and rail trans- ing them would require an year to spawn. Over the
with open minds and with- ability of salmon and steel- portation improvements act of Congress. next century and a half,
out a predetermined de- head to swim from their in- to move crops, the report Republican U.S. Reps. Dan overfishing whittled that
cision,” Inslee and Murray land spawning grounds to said. Newhouse and Cathy Mc- number down. By the early
said in a press release. the Pacific Ocean, where The dams also generate Morris Rodgers of eastern 1950s, just under 130,000
“Every community in the they spend most of their electricity, provide irriga- Washington introduced Chinook were returning to
Pacific Northwest knows lives, and then back to their tion water for farmers and a bill on Thursday to pro- the Snake River.q

Authorities: 3 dead, trooper wounded

in Maryland shooting

in Smithsburg and a fourth turned fire and shot him,” mained at the scene. Po-
victim was critically injured. Hogan told reporters. lice had closed off the road
The suspect then fled in a Authorities did not have in- that runs past the Columbia
vehicle and was tracked formation on whether the Machine Inc. facility, and
down by Maryland State suspect and victims were yellow tape blew in the
Police, according to the employees of the compa- wind outside the business.
news release. ny where the shooting took Messages left seeking com-
The suspect and a trooper place, Sheriff’s Office Sgt. ment with the company
were wounded in an ex- Carly Hose said at a news weren’t immediately re-
change of gunfire, the conference. turned.
Law enforcement officials stand near the scene of a shooting sheriff’s office said. Both Family members of workers Smithsburg, a community
at Columbia Machine, Inc., in Smithsburg, Md., Thursday, Jan. were being treated for their at the manufacturer were of nearly 3,000 people, is
9, 2022. injuries. Gov. Larry Hogan, gathering at a fire station just west of the Camp Da-
Associated Press
who was briefed on the in downtown Smithsburg vid presidential retreat and
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN state trooper were wound- shooting, said that the man Thursday evening wait- about 75 miles (120 kilome-
Associated Press ed in a shootout, authorities opened fire on troopers ing for information on their ters) northwest of Baltimore.
SMITHSBURG, Md. (AP) — A said. before at least one officer loved ones. The manufacturing facil-
man opened fire at a man- The Washington County returned fire and wounded They declined to speak to ity was in a sparsely popu-
ufacturing business in rural Sheriff’s Office said in a the suspect. a reporter. lated area northeast of
western Maryland on Thurs- news release that three “The suspect fired and Several hours after the the town’s center with a
day, killing three people victims were found dead shot the state trooper in shooting, numerous law church, several businesses
before the suspect and a at Columbia Machine Inc. the shoulder, who then re- enforcement officers re- and farmland nearby.q