This is in response to the Jan. 18 story, “Spill decision ‘big win’ for fish,” praising the decision to increase the spill over spillways of the Columbia and Snake River dams, saying it is a big win for endangered spring Chinook. It might be good for them but will be a negative for other endangered fish and animals elsewhere, threatened by global warming.
Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of non-carbon megawatts will be replaced each year with carbon-based generation. Was this not considered in the equation for protecting endangered species? Ultimately, warm rivers from climate change threaten all salmonids in the Northwest. High flows over spillways increase harmful dissolved gases. Ultimately, not spilling may be the best environmental choice.
