Labor group tells feds destroying dams not the answer

Representatives of organized labor and a variety of economic interests joined together Feb. 3 in Portland to testify against breaching key parts of the Northwest hydroelectric system - and in support of alternatives to save fish.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is holding a series of 13 public hearings throughout the Northwest and Alaska to gather comment on the federal government's Columbia River Basin salmon-recovery plans.

The Corps, which operates the dams, will outline a draft environmental study that examines four stocks of Snake River salmon and steelhead trout protected by the federal Endangered Species Act. The two-year study considers four alternatives:

* Continuing existing salmon recovery efforts unchanged;

* Increasing the use of trucks and barges to move young salmon migrating to the ocean past the federal dams;

* Investing in major modifications to Snake River dams to make it easier for young fish to pass; and * Breaching the four lower Snake River dams by removing their earthen sections so the river again flows freely.

"Science suggests that tearing down the dams won't recover our fish runs. But it will eliminate thousands of jobs and negatively impact our economy," said Jerry Bruce, business manager of Portland Electrical Workers Local 48, speaking on the first day of the hearings on behalf of the Coalition for Responsible River Use.

The coalition pointed out several steps that should be taken immediately to save fish, including: * Addressing predator problems in the estuary;

* Continuing work to ensure sufficient habitat in urban areas through partnership with local entities; * Continuing making improvements at the major dams;

* Improving commercial fishing techniques to limit take of endangered species; and * Improving use of barging and revamping hatchery practices.

Some suggest that only tearing down dams will save fish, but federal studies indicate that even if the four lower Snake River dams were torn down today, it would take decades for even minor increases in fish returns, the coalition said.

"Even the 'All 4-H' paper noted that simply tearing down the dams would yield little improvement in several key runs," the group said. The "All 4-H" paper is an analysis by the National Marine Fisheries Service on all the actions that could be taken to save all salmon and steelhead stocks in the Columbia Basin, including hydrosystem modification, habitat restoration, hatchery reform and harvest restrictions.

Claud Leinbach of the United Power Trades Organization said: "You may hear that removing the Snake River dams would lead to only a 5 percent cut in our power reduction. But let's put that in context. That's enough power to light the city of Seattle or all of Idaho and Montana. Replacing that low-cost power with other forms of cheap and clean power would be nearly impossible."

Port of Portland and maritime workers, among others, could also be affected. Forty-three percent of the nation's wheat and 11 percent of corn exports are shipped through the Columbia-Snake River system, the coalition said. Removing the dams would likely lead to higher shipping costs (a ton of commodities can move 524 miles by barge on one gallon of fuel, compared to 202 miles by rail and 59 miles by truck, the coalition said.)

Captain Mike Simonsen, a business agent of Masters, Mates and Pilots, said that "barging is one key piece of our integrated transportation system. If shipping costs go up, the U.S. will lose out in many international markets, where margins are already razor-thin. That's a direct negative impact on the many hard-working farm families in the region and labor as a whole."

The environmental impact of adding 120,000 rail cars or 700,000 more trucks to the Columbia corridor also needs to be considered. "Before we eliminate federally-authorized channels used for transport, we must insist that other means of transportation are available," Simonsen said. "Let's not forget to ensure economic stability and our quality of life before we consider destroying a single dam."

The Coalition for Responsible River Use includes 10 locals, the Oregon Building Trades Council, the Pulp and Paper Workers Resource Council and Oregonians to Maintain Community Standards.