The Lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) are four federally owned hydroelectric structures in southeastern Washington: Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Lower Snake River Dams Study focuses on understanding how to balance the protection of endangered fish species with the transportation, energy reliability, recreation, and water management benefits the dams currently provide. This work builds on several recent efforts to evaluate the role of the LSRD and explore how their services could be replaced if needed.
The 2022 Benefit Replacement Report and The Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement
In 2022, the Lower Snake River Dams: Benefit Replacement Report examined whether breaching the dams could help protect endangered salmon and steelhead. The report concluded that breaching could only occur after state and federal partners identified and implemented adequate replacement or mitigation strategies for the energy, transportation, recreation, and other essential services the dams currently deliver.
In 2023, the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement (RCBA) was established, with the LSRD as a central component. The RCBA was a landmark pact signed to restore salmon populations, uphold tribal treaty rights, and evaluate how the services provided by the four dams could be replace.
The agreement was signed by the U.S. government and the “Six Sovereigns”:
- The United States government
- The State of Washington
- The State of Oregon
- The Nez Perce Tribe
- Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation
- Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
- Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation
LSRD Replacement Study: Timeline to the RFP
The Legislature appropriated funding from the 2023-2025 state budget to Commerce for an analysis exploring how the energy reliability of the LSRD could be replaced. Commerce awarded funds to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL launched this project under the name Pacific Northwest Regional Planning Project (PREPP).
After the federal administration withdrew support for a June 12, 2025 (RCBA) agreement related to restoring salmon populations in the Columbia River System, PNNL was unable to obtain approval from the U.S. Department of Energy to study a scenario in which the lower Snake River dams are breached. Instead, PNNL published a study in September 2025, Lower Snake River Dams Contribution to Grid Services, that analyzes the historical role and contribution of Lower Snake River Dam plants to grid services within the Western Interconnection, focusing on their contributions to the Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA) operations.
In 2026, the Legislature reallocated the funds through the 2025-2027 supplemental state budget (Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5998 sec 131) to Commerce to complete the study.
Request for proposals: Lower Snake River Energy Replacement Analysis
Commerce is now accepting proposals from qualified organizations or firms to analyze the electricity resources needed to replace the energy services currently provided by the lower Snake River dams.
Timeline
- Pre-Proposal Conference: July 23, 2026
- Answers to Q&A posted no later than August 7, 2026
- Proposals due: August 26, 2026, by 4 p.m.
- Notify apparent successful contractor: September 21, 2027