Three Washington dams on the upper reaches of the Skagit River in the northwest corner of the nation have come under intense scrutiny during a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing process.
The dams, owned by the city of Seattle and which provide roughly 20% of the city’s power, are set to be relicensed in 2025. But 17 tribes, government agencies and nonprofit groups are resisting the the relicensing of the dams, which block 40% of the Skagit River, the largest river in the Puget Sound, because they say not enough is being done to protect salmon or the surrounding environment. At least one group is calling for partial removal of the dams.