Lower Granite dam fish ladder

This shows a fish ladder designed to help migrating fish swim past the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River near Almota, Wash. Environmentalists want to tear out the dam — and three others.

 Nicholas K. Geranios

Associated Press file

Pacific Northwest ag industry representatives are urging U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to step in as federal officials ponder breaching the four dams on the lower Snake River, long a goal of environmentalists.

"Prior to the last several months, the (U.S. government) has never supported a position of dam breaching; however, we are increasingly concerned that the U.S. government position is shifting to support a dam breaching action that would completely devastate the Pacific Northwest agricultural community," the letter states.

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