Washington, D.C. — Today, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) released the following statement in response to the final Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) Benefit Replacement Report and recommendations recently announced by Senator Murray (D-WA) and Governor Inslee (D-WA).
“The dams play a vital role in providing a safe, efficient and affordable way for wheat farmers to get their product to market,” said NAWG CEO Chandler Goule. “We are glad the recommendations released by Senator Murray and Governor Inslee recognize the role these dams play in agriculture and acknowledge dam breaching is not feasible at present. However, we remain concerned and opposed to breaching as it would be detrimental to wheat growers across the region. Last month, NAWG filed a public comment outlining our concerns, whereby other modes of transportation cannot simply replace barging. Wheat farmers move grain most efficiently by using the waterway instead of rail or truck while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. NAWG remains committed to working with our federal partners and stakeholders to meet the challenge of helping facilitate a healthy river ecosystem while supporting wheat growers.”
NAWG filed public comments in response to the Draft Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) Benefit Replacement Report published on June 9.