Saving the Grid, Not the Slogans: Trump Halts Dam Demolition
17.6.2025
Charles Rotter
In a long-overdue course correction, President Trump has pulled the plug on one of the Biden administration’s more outlandish energy-environment stunts—the so-called Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement. Heralded by green activists and their political patrons as a bold step for salmon recovery and “climate justice,” the agreement was, in fact, a $1 billion bureaucratic boondoggle that prioritized speculative ecological fears over the concrete energy, economic, and strategic needs of millions of Americans.
PUTTING AMERICA FIRST: President Trump continues to deliver on his promise to end the previous administration’s misplaced priorities and protect the livelihoods of the American people. Unlike the previous administration, the Trump Administration understands that policies that promote environmental quality and economic growth are not mutually exclusive.
- President Trump champions the needs of the American people and prioritizes U.S. interests in reliable, affordable energy resources.
- President Trump signed an Executive Order reinvigorating America’s beautiful clean coal industry to support grid stability and hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs.
- President Trump is committed to unleashing American energy dominance, reversing all executive actions that impose undue burdens on energy production and use.
- On Day One, President Trump declared a National Energy Emergency to unlock domestic energy production and bring down costs for everyday Americans.
- President Trump’s commonsense approach to environmental conservation empowers the American people to take full advantage of our nation’s vast and great natural resources.
- President Trump reversed the burdensome regulations that impeded Alaska’s ability to develop its vast natural resources, unleashing the state’s potential to create a safe and prosperous future for the entire Nation.
- President Trump recognizes the importance of ensuring the future of wildlife populations in the Columbia River Basin, while also advancing the country’s energy creation to benefit the American public.
- The MOU required the Federal government to spend millions of dollars and comply with 36 pages of onerous commitments to dam operations on the Lower Snake River.
- Dam breaching would have resulted in reduced water supply to farmers, eliminated several shipping channels, had devastating impacts to agriculture, increased energy costs, and eliminated recreational opportunities throughout the region.
- The dam breaches would have eliminated over 3,000 megawatts of secure and reliable hydroelectric generating capacity—which is enough generation to power 2.5 million American homes.
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