Wit, the Elhwa Dams are privately owned, the Snake River dams were built by the Corps. ESA, particularly on the Snake, brings this issue to the forfront, a Federal priority, despite other social, economic, and political needs for funds. And Slade has been a staunch opponent. Politically, he has enough support to simply state that the removal of the Snake River dams would be an economic disaster in the region.

For the Elhwa dams, he has grudgingly conceded to their removal because of widespread support, but because his constituents are against it, has put in place a next to impossible means for their removal. As Salmo pointed out obtaining a few million a year for a 100 million dollar removal project is at best putting the actual removal off for many years, and at worst, bury the project in the politics of the yearly budget.

There are definitively more effective ways to get things done in the Fed, but Slade doesn't want to find it.