Biden admin quietly developing settlement with groups seeking to tear down key power source

[mystery-ak]

Biden admin quietly developing settlement with groups seeking to tear down key power source
'Congress alone has the authority' to breach federal dams, lawmakers write in letter to White House
 By Thomas Catenacci Fox News
Published November 22, 2023 4:00am EST

The Biden administration is quietly discussing a potentially far-reaching settlement with environmental groups that advocate for tearing down four hydroelectric dams in Washington to protect salmon.

Federal attorneys representing the government said it had "developed a package of actions and commitments" and agreed to pause litigation with environmental activist plaintiffs in the case, according to court documents filed late last month. In the filings, jointly submitted by the federal government and eco groups, the parties said they could request a multiyear pause on the litigation to allow for the implementation of the package as soon as Dec. 15, 2023.

However, the filing failed to detail exactly what conditions were included in the secretive package developed. The groups involved in the case have vehemently argued in favor of breaching the four federally managed dams amid declining salmon populations in the lower Snake River, which winds through Idaho and southwestern Washington before feeding into the Columbia River and then into the Pacific Ocean.

"We find it necessary to remind you Congress alone has the authority not only to order the breach of the Lower Snake River Dams, but also exclusive authority to direct the study of breaching or to authorize replacement resources," four House Republicans from the Pacific Northwest led by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., wrote to the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on Monday.

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-quietly-developing-settlement-groups-seeking-tear-down-key-power-source

[Fishrrman]

How long before they advocate tearing down the Grand Coulee Dam, Bonneville Dam, Glen Canyon Dam, and Hoover Dam...?

[Elderberry]

Annette Cary / Tri-City Herald 11/29/2023

Leaked 'secret plan' reveals Biden admin's $1B-plus proposal preparing for Snake dam breaching

A draft agreement negotiated behind closed doors by the Biden administration and advocates of tearing down the lower Snake River dams says the science is clear on removing the dams.

In what some are calling a "secret plan" developed with four tribes, Washington and Oregon, the federal government would spend more than $1 billion to prepare for breaching the four hydroelectric dams and to promote fish populations.

The draft agreement stops short of a federal decision to remove the dams, although it said the U.S. government continues to be "committed to exploring restoration of the lower Snake River, including dam breach."

The draft agreement has not been made public, but the Tri-City Herald obtained a leaked copy.

No one involved in the litigation is permitted to discuss the draft agreement, including those who were excluded from negotiations on a a long-running federal court lawsuit.

The Biden administration negotiations have been controversial because they have not included electric ratepayers, among others, who would pay the price for changes to how the hydroelectric system is managed on both the Snake and Columbia rivers.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., has reminded the Biden administration that Congress has the exclusive authority not only on any decision to breach the Snake dams, but also the exclusive authority to direct the study of removing them or to authorize replacement resources.

He was joined by Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.; Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho and Cliff Bentz, R-Ore.

The proposed agreement was negotiated as part of the federal lawsuit that is paused until Dec. 15 to allow plaintiffs in the lawsuit to discuss the draft agreement and next steps on the dams with select tribes and litigation parties and to approve proposed actions and commitments.

More: https://www.chronline.com/stories/leaked-secret-plan-reveals-biden-admins-1b-plus-proposal-preparing-for-snake-dam-breaching,330011

[bigheadfred]

FJB

[mystery-ak]

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Court filings reveal secret agreement between Biden admin, eco groups seeking to tear down key power source
'The U.S. Government chose for months to hold secret negotiations and refused to share any details with us,' lead industry groups say in joint statement
 By Thomas Catenacci Fox News
Published November 29, 2023 4:22pm EST

A group of House lawmakers representing the Pacific Northwest made public a court-approved confidential mediation between the Biden administration and environmental groups pushing to remove four hydroelectric dams in Washington to protect salmon.

The document, which until now hasn't been made public, was drafted on Nov. 2 as part of an agreement in which activist groups agreed to pause their litigation against the federal government. The groups have argued in favor of breaching the four federally-managed dams amid declining salmon populations in the lower Snake River, which winds through Idaho and Washington before feeding into the Columbia River and then into the Pacific Ocean.

"It is imperative that our constituents, whose livelihoods depend on the Columbia River System, have a comprehensive understanding of this document’s contents so they can anticipate and prepare for the wide-ranging impacts that will inevitably be felt across the region should the commitments detailed in this document be realized," the lawmakers, led by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., wrote to President Biden on Wednesday.

"Additionally, as Members of Congress representing the Pacific Northwest and tasked with oversight of the Executive Branch, it is our duty to ensure any actions committed to as part of this agreement do not circumvent by any means the congressional authorization that would be required to execute certain proposed provisions, such as the removal of certain dams," they continued.

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/court-filings-reveal-secret-agreement-between-biden-admin-eco-groups-seeking-tear-down-key-power-source