Contact Congress: Support the Salmon Economic Analysis & Planning Act!

It's a new Congress - and we have a new chance to recover endangered Pacific Salmon in the Mighty Columbia & Snake Rivers! This spring, Representatives Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Thomas Petri (R-WI) introduced the bi-partisan Salmon Economic Analysis & Planning Act (SEAPA) in Congress with more than 65 House co-sponsors. Consider that: (1) we are wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on failed federal "recovery" plans; (2) hundreds of scientists support removing four costly dams on the lower Snake River as perhaps the only way to restore this world-renowned fishery; (3) just THREE sockeye salmon survived to return to their Idaho spawning grounds in 2006; (4) up to 90% of Snake River salmon are killed by federal dams as they migrate to the ocean, and (5) the courts have ruled the last three federal salmon plans are illegal. Isn't it time to invest in a real recovery plan that works? The Salmon Economic Analysis & Planning Act (SEAPA) will get us the information we need to understand the costs and benefits of removing the four lower Snake River dams, and to craft an effective recovery plan that restores healthy salmon and steelhead populations to our Northwest rivers and West Coast communities.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Please Support the Salmon Economic Analysis & Planning Act

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to ask for your support in the 110th Congress for the Salmon Economic Analysis & Planning Act (SEAPA).

Over the last several decades, billions of American taxpayer and Northwest ratepayer dollars have been wasted on a series of failed federal salmon "recovery" plans. After years of missed opportunities, declining runs of salmon and steelhead, suffering fishing communities and businesses, subverted science, and illegal plans, it is time to listen to the experts and chart a new course to salmon recovery in the Columbia Basin.

By calling for independent and up-to-date scientific and economic analyses, the SEAPA will provide critical information to you and others in Congress about the costs and benefits of removing the four lower Snake River dams and replacing their current limited benefits with cost-effective alternatives.

For years, federal, state, tribal and independent scientists have told us that restoring a free-flowing lower Snake River is the most effective way to protect and restore our endangered Snake and Columbia River salmon and steelhead to healthy, self-sustaining, and fishable populations.

A recent analysis finds that it also makes economic sense -- that removing four costly dams can lead to lower recovery costs and greater regional benefits. With these remarkable fish still on the brink of extinction despite expenditures of more than $7 billion dollars in U.S. taxpayer and Northwest ratepayer money, we now have an opportunity to develop a salmon recovery plan that works.

The SEAPA is the first important step toward understanding the issues surrounding Columbia-Snake River salmon and steelhead, and toward crafting a real recovery plan to restore this regional economic resource and national treasure in a way that works for the citizens of the Northwest and the Nation.

In the new Congress, I will be counting on your support for the SEAPA. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
February 19, 2007


Background Information

The Columbia and Snake Rivers once produced the world's most prolific salmon and steelhead runs--up to 16 million fish returned each year feeding natural and human communities, supporting good jobs and providing world-renowned fishing opportunities.

Today, however, this critical indicator of Northwest sustainability is threatened with extinction. For many years, federal, tribal, and state scientists have concluded that removing the four lower Snake River dams would provide the greatest benefit to protect and restore our endangered fish to abundance. The federal government, however, insists on wasting billions of public dollars on programs that aren't working.

A recently released economic report -Revenue Stream- compiled the best available data and concluded that removing these four costly dams and replacing their limited services with alternatives would cost less and provide far larger economic benefits to Pacific Northwest communities.

Early in the 2007, Congress needs to complete similar and more up-to-date studies that can provide the best available information on what is one of the Northwest's most important economic, fiscal, and natural resource issues. In the Northwest and nationally, we still can have it all--abundant salmon and healthy fishing and farming communities, and affordable energy--but we need Congressional leadership. Assuring that we have good information on the table is the first step toward developing effective, successful policy.