Feds add a day of dam input to meeting

Like a rock band extending a sold-out tour stop, the federal government is adding an extra day to its salmon-and-dams listening session.

But it’s already too late to nab a coveted speaking slot.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service previously scheduled a “U.S. Government Listening Session” starting at 10 a.m. Friday to gather public sentiment on the interplay of Snake and Columbia river salmon and the system of hydroelectric dams on the two rivers. More than 1,000 people registered for the event and swamped all available three-minute speaking slots.

To give more people a chance to comment, the government will hold a second listening session Monday. But it allocated all available speaking slots to people who attempted but failed to acquire one at Friday’s meeting.

Those interested can still participate in a listen-only mode either or both days by registering at bit.ly/3lhrh4R.

The sessions stem from a long-running lawsuit in which the Nez Perce Tribe, Oregon and a coalition of environmental and fishing groups have sued the federal government for the harm dams cause to protected salmon and steelhead. The plaintiffs, who want the government to breach the four lower Snake River dams, claim the plan does not meet standards in the Endangered Species Act. Federal agencies and dam supporters contend salmon can be restored with the dams in place.

In October 2021, the parties asked Judge Michael Simon of Portland, Ore., for a stay in legal proceedings so they could enter mediation and seek a durable and long-term strategy to recover the fish. That stay was extended by one year last August.

The listening sessions are designed to gather input from people who are not party to the closed-door mediation discussions. Officials from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service did not respond to emails and phone calls from the Tribune seeking more information about the listening sessions. But according to an email shared with the Tribune, another session is planned for May 25. It is not yet open for registration.

The dams and the reservoirs they create impede the migration of juvenile and adult salmon between spawning grounds in Idaho, Oregon and Washington and the Pacific Ocean. Breaching them would reduce the region’s generation of hydroelectric power and eliminate tug-and-barge transportation of grain between Lewiston and downriver ports.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.