Protecting the Snake River dams and other federal water infrastructure is pivotal to the entire northwest due to their tremendous benefits to our region.

Last week, I wrote an op-ed with Mountain States Policy Center Vice President Jason Mercier about the importance of defending the four lower Snake River dams.

We are far from alone in our strong support for the dams:

• The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation wrote that the dams "produce a significant amount of affordable and environmentally friendly hydroelectric power to the region."
• Scott Corbitt, general manager of the Port of Lewiston, testified in a recent House committee hearing that "The culture, business, and lifestyle of Lewiston revolve around the Clearwater and Snake rivers and . . . pool created by the lower Snake River dams."
• The environmental director for the Washington Policy Center, Todd Myers, said removing the dams would be "counterproductive."

Breaching the lower Snake River dams is completely unnecessary and unwarranted. Congress authorized these dams, and only Congress can remove them.

Earlier this year, with several of my colleagues, I introduced the Northwest Energy Security Act, which would further safeguard the Snake River dams by explicitly securing the energy, transportation, agriculture, and irrigation benefits these dams provide.