Late this past winter, the Army Corps of Engineers spilled about 474 gallons of turbine oil into the Columbia River at The Dalles Dam. This is not the first time that dam turbine oil has spilled into the river. Oil spills occur on a routine basis at Columbia and Snake river dams, including a series of oil spills at Lower Monumental Dam in 2017 that sent over 1,600 gallons of oil into the Snake River.
In 2014 Columbia Riverkeeper settled a lawsuit against the Army Corps to stop oil pollution from eight dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. The settlement required the Army Corps to apply for water pollution permits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that would require the Corps to monitor and reduce oil and other water pollution from the dams. To date, EPA has not taken action to reduce oil pollution and issue permits.
On this episode of Locus Focus, we talk with Columbia Riverkeeper Staff Attorney Lauren Goldberg and Dave Byers with the Washington Department of Ecology, about their efforts to make the Army Corps of Engineers accountable for their despoiling of the Columbia River.
Lauren Goldberg is a staff attorney with Columbia Riverkeeper. Lauren’s practice areas focus on protecting salmon habitat and river communities from energy projects, including oil-by-rail, natural gas, and coal export projects. Lauren also works with Riverkeeper members to enforce the Clean Water Act and hold polluters accountable for violating the law. This includes two high-profile cases against the federal government to curb oil pollution from nine of the nation’s largest hydroelectric dams. Lauren also works with diverse coalitions to fight for laws that protect people from toxic pollution.
Dave Byers is a response manager for the Washington State Department of Ecology.
- KBOO