Letters
With today’s ever-increasing tensions on individuals and nature, Washington state requires to show that it can do its finest at maintaining biodiversity and avoiding the termination of our most renowned wildlife. That is factor enough for us to retire the 4 lower Snake River dams.
I provide another reason that the Snake River dams need to be retired. That factor is energy security, and by that, I suggest tidy energy security.
Population development and the tensions triggered by climate-warming are driving an increasing requirement for carbon-free electrical power. That tidy electrical power should likewise be produced with the least damage to the environment.
Although the 4 lower Snake River dams provide a relatively percentage of Pacific Northwest Power (about 3 percent), they are doing so at a terrific ecological cost.
Future power will be expensive. Aging turbines require changed at a substantial cost.
There is an ongoing lowering of creating capability as tanks fill with silt. In addition, power is available many times when it is not required. Although it can balance out burning nonrenewable fuel sources, it makes no sense to take on wind and solar renewable resource coming online with additional usage of ravaging and ailing hydro.
So, as running expenses increase due to aging facilities and environment tension, and dam efficiency degrades, the lower 4 dams are not adding to our energy security.
It is time to reinvest the ever-increasing cash assigned to these passing away dams into building a carbon-free and ecologically safe power facilities for our future.
Let’s retire the dams and “Build Back Better” as President Biden would state.
Malcolm Cumming
Clinton
