Susitna dam does not make sense

To the editor:

In the Oct. 18 article on the Walker/Mallott unity ticket, Mallott was quoted as saying the pair is, “open to exploring the construction of the Susitna-Watana Dam” if impacts to salmon could be mitigated. While it is enlightening to hear Mallott is giving serious consideration to salmon (compared to the Parnell administration), the facts on this senseless dam proposal are already in. The Pacific Northwest is a prime case study for Alaskans to see how poorly salmon and large dams coexist. Despite this history, the current state administration has spent nearly $200 million on dam studies.

What’s more, Mallott’s comment on the dam was ironically juxtaposed with Walker calling our state budget “dire.” With a price tag of at least $5.2 billion and better projects for solving statewide energy problems at hand, the Susitna dam simply doesn’t pencil out during this “worst financial condition in our state’s history.” If Walker seeks fiscal responsibility and Mallott wants to avoid impacts to our irreplaceable wild salmon fisheries, the pair already has a clear answer on the Susitna dam: it does not make sense for the budget, a stable energy future, salmon — nor, therefore, for Alaska.

Kit Erickson

Wasilla