Four dams in the Pacific Northwest at heart of a debate over restoring the region’s salmon and steelhead populations could be releasing an average of 1.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases each year, according to a study released Monday.
The review of the hydroelectric structures on the Lower Snake River — the Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite dams — comes from the environmental group Tell The Dam Truth.
The organization, which received its seed funding from Patagonia and is seeking nonprofit status, advocates for dam removal as well as expanded disclosure on emissions from dams and reservoirs in rulemaking and legislation.
According to the group’s analysis, led by ecologist Mark Easter, the four dams will generate a total of 180 million metric ton of carbon dioxide-equivalent over a 100 year span, from the construction of the facilities to the “inevitable decommissioning.”
