Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson’s plan for Snake River dams suddenly feels less controversial after decisive victory
Enjoying the view: Idaho U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson will serve another term in Congress. Photo: Office of Rep. Mike Simpson
By Chuck Thompson. November 9, 2022. In October 2021, Columbia Insight reported on Idaho Falls attorney Bryan Smith’s plan to unseat veteran Idaho congressman Mike Simpson in the 2022 Republican primary.
A major issue, for Smith, was Simpsons’ $33 billion federal infrastructure plan to breach four controversial dams on the Lower Snake River. The plan would help restore salmon habitat and spur economic development.
Smith opposed the plan and suggested it’d be the political fulcrum on which he’d break Simpson.
“I believe that this issue will be the dividing issue that will help me win this race,” Smith told the Idaho Statesman in 2021.
Turns out, not so much.
In May, Simpson defeated Smith in the Republican primary by a margin of 54.6% to 32.7%.
On November 8, Simpson, 72, won a 13th term representing the eastern portion of the state in Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District by defeating Democrat Wendy Norman by a 63.5% to 36.4% margin (with 97.7% of counties reporting at time of publication). Simpson won the same seat in 2020 by a margin of 64.1% to 31.7% over Democratic challenger C. Aaron Swisher.
Election results across the Columbia River Basin will have major environmental consequences.
But Simpson’s win seems particularly worth noting given his place at the center of one of the region’s most contentious environmental issues. A progressive environmental stance doesn’t appear to have dented the veteran Republican’s popularity with Idaho voters.
Chuck Thompson is editor of Columbia Insight.
The views expressed in this article belong solely to its author and do not reflect the opinions of anyone else associated with Columbia Insight.
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This harkens back to Republican Gov Tom McCall leading the charge to protect Oregon’s environment. Restoring the environment isn’t a R vs D issue. Rather doing the right thing in the long run, as removal of SR dams which Simpson is advocating for.
Thanks for the story, Chuck.
Of course he cruised to victory in Idaho. His plan requires Idaho to do nothing on the 700 miles or so located within the state, and in fact prohibits it for 30 years. Not a single Snake River dam in Idaho has any fish passage, either upstream or down
The controversy over the Snake River Dams is essentially a null sum proposal, which preserves the status quo sum promised by opponents of the Boldt decision. Half of zero is zero.
Unfortunately for both “sides” on this issue, everybody’s share of zero is zero. And good luck with that.
There are much better ways to manage the system of dams on the Columbia-Snake River system.
But that won’t happen until folks realize the historic, current and future value of salmonids to planet Earth.
Even Indigenous People no longer have a clue.
So, change won’t happen. It may be too late.