18th
Questions & Answers
Q: How will we replace the lost electricity?
A: Put progressives in charge of developing alternative sources — something that should have started with a fury in the 1970s when we had our first wake-up call. Innovators are lurking in the shadows, like mammals waiting for the dinosaurs to drop. Give them free rein. Provide incentives. Get the American people behind it. With President Barack Obama leading the charge, we can do it. In 10 years.
Q: How do we pay for it?
A: President John F. Kennedy’s dream of putting a man on the moon in 10 years was realized. People hundreds of years from now will still marvel at that achievement. The same will be true of breakthroughs in energy production and delivery that will make current modes obsolete, and fuel the economic engine of the 21st century. In the end, the development of new energy systems will pay for itself many times over.
Q: How do we flush the 50-year accumulation of metallic and radioactive poisons built up behind the dam?
A: Put bright minds to the task. Make the process competitive. Keep the bureaucracy to a minimum. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
Q: Won’t native salmon go extinct as a result?
A: They’re close to extinction now. Once the river is clean and free-flowing, salmon runs should increase. History and oral tradition tell of the salmon’s return after major volcanic eruptions, river-blocking landslides, and monumental floods.
Q: Won’t Celilo Falls be covered with silt after being submerged since 1957?
A: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released sonar maps in November, 2008 showing that no sediment had accumulated at Celilo Falls, as had been expected. Also, the maps disproved rumors that the Corps had dynamited the Falls to accommodate barge traffic.
Q: How will decommissioning The Dalles Dam affect irrigation and navigation?
A: Changes will be necessary. Perhaps water could be pumped to the high plateau during winter and spring months, when water volume is great,and stored for later use. A similar plan was announced for the Umatilla Basin in late December, 2008, by a coalition of farmers and engineers. Perhaps the canal and locks at Celilo, currently underwater, could be upgraded to accommodate modern tugs and barges. Possibilities are limited only by the reach of imagination.
Countless other questions arise. Answers can and will be found.
