512 



...and that drawdowns have dubious scientific benefits which are at 

 best unproven, requiring years of testing and ,at worst, may cause much 

 more ecological damage than they are possibly worth. 



And finally, we perceive that some of the people who adamantly 

 insist that drawdowns are the only best hope for salmon recovery efforts 

 have adopted that position with ambitious agendas other than merely 

 salmon. We believe that there are those who are using salmon as a 

 platform for preservationist philosophies that include eventually the 

 removal of the Snake and Columbia river dams and the punitive denial of 

 the benefits of those dams to our region. 



As a grain barge shipper and a representative and the of the 

 agricultural community of my area, I have concerns about the increased 

 costs of transportation and the effects that drawdown interruptions will 

 have on our ability to supply the ongoing export market place; both of 

 which will surely happen if we lose our river navigation system. As a 

 consumer of electricity, I don't want increased power bills because of 

 drawdowns. As a tax paying citizen of this country, I do not want billions 

 of dollars spent on dam modifications for salmon survival when that money 

 is critically needed for other national problems and when there are 

 obviously more cost effective methods of increasing salmon numbers to 

 Idaho such as enhanced smolt transportation systems. And, as a citizen of 

 the Lewiston, Idaho,/Clarkston, Washington, valley, I very much prefer to 

 forego forever the experience of having the rivers in our community 

 reduced to stinking mud holes such as we experienced during the 1992 test 

 drawdown. 



As you are probably aware, plans are now being formulated for an 

 additional test drawdown for just the Lower Granite pool of the Snake 

 river lasting up to 4 1/2 months and costing 40 million dollars. This test 

 could take place as early as 1995 starting in mid April and lasting well into 

 September. I hope you can appreciate the negative impacts a test like this 

 will have on our region, not just economically, but also in the areas of 

 recreation and our social quality of life. 



Now some people will say that 40 million dollars is not that much to 

 spend on salmon recovery, but this is only the tip of the iceberg and as 



