The public has an opportunity to learn more about the draft findings of a state study analyzing the potential transportation impacts if the lower Snake River dams are ever removed. 

The Washington State Department of Transportation is in the process of finalizing the report for the Lower Snake River Dams Transportation Study, which was authorized by the legislature three years ago. An open house with WSDOT staff will be from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Mid-Columbia Libraries Pasco branch at 1320 W. Hopkins St. in Pasco. 

State lawmakers called for the study when the state along with officials in Oregon, environmental groups and tribal governments had reached an agreement with the administration of President Joe Biden to pause active Snake River litigation for a minimum of five years while the parties worked on a plan to advance recovery of native fish populations in the Columbia Basin.   

At the heart of the issue are four Snake River dams that provide irrigation and emissions-free hydropower for nearby communities, but have also contributed to the near extinction of 13 salmon and steelhead populations that return to the Columbia Basin from the Pacific Ocean to spawn 

In June 2025, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum withdrawing the federal government’s support from the agreement, calling it “radical environmentalism” and saying completion of the restoration initiative would “be devastating for the region.”  

Northwest states, tribes and environmental groups resumed suing the federal government over the dams in September 2025.