TO THE HONORABLE DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE HONORABLE J.D. VANCE, THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:

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 United States Army Corps of Engineers was authorized to construct, operate, and maintain four dams on the lower Snake River for navigation, hydropower, fish and wildlife conservation, and recreation; and

WHEREAS, The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is responsible for marketing and transmitting the hydroelectric power generated by the dams on the lower Snake River; and

WHEREAS, The lower Snake River dams' electricity output accounts for a significant percentage of BPA's peaking capacity, according to BPA; and

WHEREAS, The electricity produced by the lower Snake River dams is essential to meeting the goals set forth in Washington's Clean Energy Transformation Act; and

WHEREAS, The lower Snake River dams provide for supplies of water that are used for irrigating vast tracts of land in Washington, thereby supporting the state's critical agricultural sector; and

WHEREAS, The lower Snake River dams facilitate the transport of an average of 4,200,000 short tons of commodities, including exports, each year; and

WHEREAS, Breaching the lower Snake River dams would eliminate all barge navigation between the Tri-Cities and Clarkston, causing the transportation of commodities to shift to rail and trucking networks; and

WHEREAS, Barging on the Snake River is the most efficient and environmentally friendly mode of commodity transportation because a typical four-barge tow can move the same amount of cargo as 140 railcars or 538 semi-trucks; and

WHEREAS, The flatwater reservoirs and locks system resulting from the lower Snake River dams provides a diverse range of recreational opportunities and enables cruise boats to navigate between Tri-Cities and Clarkston; and

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

WHEREAS, The federal agency responsible for operating the dams published a Record of Decision in 2020 identifying a preferred alternative operation strategy that would benefit fish without breaching the four lower Snake River dams; and

WHEREAS, Breaching any dam on the lower Snake River would severely diminish hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, navigation, recreation, agriculture, tourism, and fish and wildlife benefits the dams currently provide to the people of Washington; and

WHEREAS, S.182, "A bill to provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time, and for other purposes," also known as the Northwest Energy Security Act, was recently introduced in the United States Senate; and

WHEREAS, The Northwest Energy Security Act directs that the Federal Columbia River Power System, which includes the lower Snake River dams, must be operated in a manner consistent with the 2020 Record of Decision, also known as the Supplemental Opinion; and

WHEREAS, The Northwest Energy Security Act prohibits any structural modification, action, study, or engineering plan, that restricts electrical generation at any Federal Columbia River Power System hydroelectric dam, or that limits navigation on the Snake River in Washington, Oregon, or Idaho, unless such proposal is specifically and expressly authorized by a later-enacted federal statute; and

WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature recognizes the importance of the lower Snake River dams and the entire Federal Columbia River Power 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 pass and approve S.182, the Northwest Energy Security Act.

BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, the Honorable J.D. Vance, Vice President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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