Editor,

The mighty Snake River, with over 5,000 miles of tributaries, has been ranked as the most endangered in the United States.

The scientific consensus is, and has been, that the four lower Snake River dams must be breached — not dismantled — to save the salmon, steelhead and the Orca of the Salish Sea which depend on them during the winter.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. has a plan, which the tribes, governors of Oregon and Idaho, commercial and recreational fisherman and others support. It is not perfect, but, is a starting point.

Regardless, our governor and Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, oppose its implementation due to the politics not the science, economics or ethics.

For over 20 years the Army Corps of Engineers has been required by the courts, under the Endangered Species Act, to restore the salmon of the Snake River.

Instead they have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars pursuing ineffectual strategies. Maintaining these ill-conceived, costly, unnecessary and destructive dams will cost billions more.

This is about extinction, tribal rights, salmon, forests, economics and ethics.

It is now or never.

The dams produce nothing that cannot be compensated for. Please contact Gov. Jay Inslee 360-902-4111, Sen. Murray 202-224-2621 and Sen. Maria Cantwell 425-303-0114. Urge them to get behind the Simpson plan. They just need a nudge to do the right thing.

Learn more and join the campaign at Snake River Savers’ web and Facebook sites.

Gary Piazzon

Coupeville