TO THE HONORABLE DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE HONORABLE MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO EACH MEMBER OF CONGRESS REPRESENTING THE STATE OF WASHINGTON OR A CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT THEREIN, AND TO THE UNITED STATES ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS COMMANDING GENERAL AND CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, AND TO THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF RECLAMATION COMMISSIONER, AND TO THE BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATOR:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, The Columbia River system includes fourteen federal multiple-purpose dams, which are operated as a coordinated system in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington; and

WHEREAS, The United States Army Corps of Engineers was authorized to construct, operate, and maintain twelve dams in the system for flood control, power generation, navigation, fish and wildlife conservation, recreation, and municipal and industrial water supply purposes; and

WHEREAS, The Bureau of Reclamation was authorized to construct, operate, and maintain two dams in the system for flood control, power generation, navigation, and irrigation; and

WHEREAS, The Bonneville Power Administration is responsible for marketing and transmitting the hydroelectric power generated by the dams in the system; and

WHEREAS, The total hydroelectric generation capacity of the dams in the system represents the bulk of power generation in the Pacific Northwest and can power approximately seven million homes; and

WHEREAS, The system provides for supplies of water that are used for irrigating vast tracts of land in Washington, thereby supporting the state's critical agriculture sector; and

WHEREAS, The system provides for navigation from Lewiston, Idaho, to the Pacific Ocean that facilitates the transport of an average fifty-seven million tons of commodities, including exports, each year; and

WHEREAS, The system's reservoirs are used for managing water flow to reduce the risk of catastrophic floods; and

WHEREAS, A diverse range of recreational opportunities are found on or near system reservoirs; and

WHEREAS, Continuous configuration and operations improvements, including fish passage, have led to progressively higher salmon and steelhead counts at the dams over time; and

WHEREAS, The federal agencies responsible for operating the system are preparing an environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act; and

WHEREAS, The agencies leading the environmental impact statement process will be considering alternatives for modifying system operations, including breaching one or more dams; and

WHEREAS, Breaching any dam in the system would significantly alter system operations and severely diminish hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, navigation, flood risk management, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits the system currently provides to the people of Washington; and

WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature recognizes the importance of the Columbia River system for the security and prosperity of the state, and expresses its concern that breaching any dam in the system will be to the detriment of the State of Washington;

NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that you take any and all action within your authority to prevent the breaching of any dam in the Columbia River system.

BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the United States, the Honorable Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, each member of Congress representing the State of Washington or a congressional district therein, the United States Army Corps of Engineers Commanding General and Chief of Engineers, the United States Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner, and the Bonneville Power Administration Administrator.

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