IN DEPTH: House Committee Probes Biden Administration’s ‘Backroom Deal’ to Breach Lower Snake River Dams

Biden administration officials chose not to appear for a congressional oversight hearing into a leaked draft outlining proposed settlement of litigation related to salmon and dams in the Columbia River basin. Committee members wanted government officials to answer questions about the prospective agreement, which has been negotiated behind closed doors over the past six months. Instead, the Republican-controlled House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries heard from the leaders of stakeholder groups representing public power, agriculture, and transportation interests, as well as a witness for conservation groups. The Dec. 13 hearing featured arguments both for and against breaching the four Lower Snake River dams in Washington as a way to recover threatened and endangered Snake River salmon and steelhead trout....