Wheat Growers Applaud President Trump’s Memorandum to Protect the Lower Snake River Dams

June 16, 2025

The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) applauds President Donald J. Trump’s recent Presidential Memorandum revoking the Biden Administration’s memorandum titled “Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin.” That memorandum had included recommendations to breach one or more of the Lower Snake River Dams—an action NAWG has consistently opposed.

“NAWG thanks the Trump Administration for taking this essential step to protect the Lower Snake River Dams,” said NAWG President Pat Clements. “We have long stood against dam breaching because of the devastating economic consequences it would impose on communities throughout the Pacific Northwest and the threat it poses to U.S. wheat’s global competitiveness. We look forward to working with the Trump Administration to preserve this critical infrastructure for generations to come.”

“We are grateful that the administration has chosen to revoke the Biden agreement, recognizing the irreparable harm that would be done to the region’s stakeholders if the lower Snake River Dams were to be breached. As harvest approaches, it is reassuring to know that barging, one of the most environmentally friendly, safest ways to transport our wheat to market, will remain a viable option,” said WAWG President, Jeff Malone.

The Columbia-Snake River System is a vital piece of national infrastructure, providing a reliable and efficient transportation route for U.S. wheat exports to more than 20 countries across the Pacific Rim. NAWG strongly opposes any efforts to breach the system’s dams, which deliver irreplaceable benefits to agriculture, clean energy production, and freight transportation. Barging on this river system is the most fuel-efficient and environmentally sustainable method of moving grain—a single four-barge tow carries the equivalent of 144 railcars or 538 semi-trucks. Removing the dams would not only eliminate clean hydroelectric power but also force a shift to rail and truck transport, resulting in higher costs, increased road congestion, and significantly greater carbon emissions. NAWG remains firmly committed to protecting this essential system for the nation’s wheat growers and rural communities.

Source: NAWG