Republican lawmakers argued at a House hearing Wednesday that a quartet of dams on the Lower Snake River must be protected from even hypothetical removal.
The Republicans on the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries said any federal research should be halted in the wake of President Trump’s decision to back out of a $1 billion settlement agreement that short-circuited a legal battle over the structures and their impacts on endangered fish populations.
The discussion was prompted by a bill from Washington Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse, H.R. 2073, the “Defending our Dams Act.” It was considered Wednesday along with a handful of other bills.
Republican lawmakers praised Newhouse’s proposal, which would block the use of any federal funds for studying the removal of the dams including how to address energy production, transportation or recreational benefits.
