Corky,

As Stlhead indicated, Slade did hold up the appropriations while trying to extract a promise of no Snake River dam breaching. Then he suggests Babbitt is the bad guy for not wanting to buy the dams without having the funding to pay for their removal. Well, guess what? The Interior Dept. purchased the dams, is presently operating them to generate energy, and doesn’t have the money to pay for their removal! Perchance Babbitt knew what he was talking about. It’s going to be damn hard to pay for dam removal a few million bucks at a time, contingent on the annual whims of Congressional appropriations. And please note that Slade’s message mentions removal of only the Elwha Dam and doesn’t mention Glines Canyon Dam, the second dam on the Elwha. The conclusion I draw is that my opinion of Slade as a slimy, anti-environment politician is reconfirmed. Thanks for posting Slade’s message.

And missing from this debate is why federal funds are necessary to remove private dams. I haven't heard why the government didn't require the dam's owner to remove them at the company's own expense. Sheesh, big business is the biggest welfare cheat of all!

Sincerely,

Salmo g.