snake river dam removal 2019

, the US Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) will issue an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in 2020 and the Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville) will make a decision on whether to remove Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite dams as part of a systemwide review of the operations of the Columbia River hydro system. By leaving out the largest category of benefits of breaching, the Corps’s study will almost certainly conclude that the dams should remain. Numerous scientific studies published in 2019 and 2020 point to changing ocean conditions caused by … Part of the current funds should also check why salmon are decreasing in areas that have no dams before removing the Snake River dams. ECONW applied this range of values to a population of West Coast states plus Idaho and Montana and came up with a figure of $11 billion for the value today of helping the salmon on the Snake River. The agency’s handbook for conducting studies like the one underway for the Columbia River system counts the “use-values” of salmon as a source of recreation or food but ignores the “non-use-values” or intrinsic value of salmon as a viable species. Support more research like this with a year-end gift! They also submerged 63 rapids big enough to have earned themselves names and increased the mortality of salmon smolts heading downstream and adults returning upstream to spawn. This is nonsense and contradicted by their own Shown here is the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River. But the Corps, which operates the dams, determined. their poor record, advocates of dam destruction insist this time they are dams are responsible for about You can check my fish count statistics in the links below. Free-flowing water on the lower Snake River would eliminate some jobs and create others. Focusing on the four Lower Snake River dams is a deadly distraction from But even if you toss out the challenged survey and use the other two study results and you also assume that only Northwest households care about the fate of salmon, then the intrinsic benefits of aiding wild salmon recovery still exceed the costs of taking out the dams. They’re icons of the place. In this May 15, 2019, file photo, the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax, Washington. years, noting that dam removal would make that shortage worse. This study fails to recognize that salmon numbers have been falling in Alaska where there are no dams. In July, the economic consulting firm ECONorthwest (ECONW) issued a new independent analysis funded by the philanthropic arm of the late Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc. on the benefits and costs of restoring the river. environment. UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 20, 2019. besides humans trashing out rivers and all. While the Gov. In July, the economic consulting firm ECONorthwest (ECONW), funded by the philanthropic arm of the late Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc. on the benefits and costs of restoring the river. FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2016 file photo, a man fishes for salmon in the Snake River … Tucked into Washington’s $52.4 billion operating budget passed Sunday night by the Legislature is controversial funding for a “stakeholder group” tasked with looking into what would happen should the four Lower Snake River dams be removed or altered. refrain. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Originally published on … few percentage points. Bloede Dam, Patapsco River, Maryland . How about eliminating electricity generation equivalent to every solar panel and wind turbine in Washington state? We cannot know for certain that salmon will recover, given other stressors. Some, however, continue to ignore the latest science, [The response] has been overwhelmingly positive for our message, which is: Removing the Lower One of the most important lessons gleaned so far is that rivers bounce back quickly. North America’s largest Pacific watershed, the Columbia River Basin, is in the midst of an environmental and energy crisis so severe that the most obvious, yet hotly contested, antidote — removal of four dams on the Columbia’s longest tributary, the Snake River — is gaining traction. Worse, Snake River Dams’ Hydropower Is No Longer Particularly Cheap », http://www.fpc.org/CurrentDaily/histfishtwo_7day-ytd_Adults.htm, https://www.critfc.org/full-dam-counts/?fish=chin_adult&dam=LGR, https://econw.com/s/LSRD_Economic_Tradeoffs_Report.pdf. Five species of Snake River salmon are now threatened or endangered. Despite And yet for all this spending, salmon runs continue to decline. ECONW evaluated three prior studies on people’s willingness to pay to improve the odds for salmon survival and found that survey research indicates people were willing to pay, on average, between $34 and $46 per household per year to “reduce extinction risk,” “recover,” or “protect” wild salmon. for conducting studies like the one underway for the Columbia River system counts the “use-values” of salmon as a source of recreation or food but ignores the “non-use-values” or intrinsic value of salmon as a viable species. http://www.fpc.org/CurrentDaily/histfishtwo_7day-ytd_Adults.htm Should non-use values extend to households beyond the five-state region to the nationwide US population, the values would be approximately 6.5 times larger. Rep. A July 2019 report by a Portland-based economics firm indicates that removing dams on the Snake River in Eastern Washington would have huge financial benefits as well. overall. Sightline Institute's work is made possible by the generosity of people like you! I don’t hear anyone rallying for their demolition, however. The Clearwater was closed to steelhead fishing in the fall of 2019 due to poor returns, and returning adult salmon and steelhead numbers in the whole Columbia River Basin were some of the lowest on record. Despite their poor record, advocates of dam destruction insist this time they are right. Note: Daniel Malarkey served as a consultant to ECONorthwest for its study of the lower Snake River dams. In Facts about Lower Snake Dam Removal Click on the link for news, letters of record, archives, reports, documents, videos, presentations, and how to help. One critic of the ECONorthwest study found fault with the wording of one question in the survey sponsored by the Save Our Wild Salmon advocacy group and the application of willingness to pay research to households in California, arguing that people in San Diego don’t care about wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest. But how could ECONW reflect this widely held but intangible value in dollars and cents? (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file) Oregon governor calls for tearing out Snake River dams To me, this points to the reality that these four run-of-the-river dams, easy targets as they are, have been mislabeled as problems when in fact the actual unsung “villains” of this story are our major electricity producing Bonneville and Dalles dams. On Monday the PUD Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution proposed by Commissioner Randy Smith that says the PUD supports preserving hydropower generation at the four dams and joins other public utilities in opposing their removal. Scientists warn of salmon extinction if Snake River dams stay. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon ordered federal regulators to take a hard look at all options to protect salmon, including the potential (and controversial) removal of the four dams on the Lower Snake River. Peterson: Which goes to show it's not an east-west thing, it's not a … Last year, the NW Energy Coalition, which supports removing the dams, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers takes another jab at a study of the Snake River dams supported by Gov. that removing the lower Snake dams would increase the chances of salmon recovering by 50 percent. those arguing we need to destroy the Snake River dams suggest we do both. The best available biological and social science indicate that the Corps should breach the dams and restore the river so salmon have the chance to thrive. Breaching the dams and restoring a river system with white water and gravel beaches would increase the spawning habitat for Chinook salmon and reduce barriers at the beginning and end of the salmon life cycle. https://www.critfc.org/full-dam-counts/?fish=chin_adult&dam=LGR, Kellen, the rationale for removing the dams on the Lower Snake River is not only to improve the return rates of adult salmon but also to increase the amount of spawning habitat for adult salmon and to reduce the mortality of juveniles headed downstream. For many Northwesterners, salmon are the needle and thread that bind their place together: ocean and coast, rain forest valleys and grassy plains, swift streams and snowy mountains. So to remove the dams in hopes to increase salmon numbers when other areas that have no dams have also seen a decline seems self defeating. Those who hold this goal are true champions of not speaking. at NOAA Fisheries in the early 2000s. Dam removal would help salmon travel up the river to spawn and down the river to the ocean, where the orcas can eat them. When Congress revamped the management of the Columbia River hydrosystem in 1980, the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act enshrined into law salmon’s importance to the region with a purpose statement that includes: “to protect, mitigate and enhance the fish and wildlife, including related spawning grounds and habitat, of the Columbia River and its tributaries, particularly anadromous fish which are of significant importance to the social and economic well-being of the Pacific Northwest and the Nation.”. If the numbers don’t improve or they continue to decline at the trials completion then give them the option to refill or close off the earthen section and resume normal operations. The draft report, Lower Snake River Dams Stakeholder Engagement Report, is available for public comment until January 24, 2020. watersheds the state Department of Fish and Wildlife says are most important to destroying the dams. US Reps. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-Spokane) and Dan Newhouse (R-Yakima) stoked east-west divisions, the report “another example of Seattle-based interests seeking to disrupt our way of life in Central and Eastern Washington.” The, on the highly researched, lengthy technical report was that it “belongs in the trash.”, For five decades, the four dams on the lower Snake River have provided water for irrigation, emissions-free hydroelectricity, and 140 miles of flat water for barge passage from Pasco, Washington, to Lewiston, Idaho. Support more research like this with a year-end gift! By carefully tabulating costs and benefits for all the aspects of the dam dilemma that are easily monetized—forgone electricity production, the costs of breaching the dams, the costs of new diversions for irrigation—ECONW finds the dams are better left in place. The Kellen post certainly substantiates he/she has done any fact finding on the 4 dams and their production of electricity. that give Redfish Lake in Idaho its name had made the return journey. Despite In August of 2019, fewer than two dozen of the red-bodied sockeye. Healthy fish populations would increase the food supply for endangered orcas. See if you agree. In 1999, activists bought an ad in The New York Times claiming that unless the dams were removed, “wild Snake River spring chinook salmon … will be extinct by 2017.” When 2017 arrived, the Snake River Chinook population was six times larger than in 1999. So the question is what are people willing to pay to increase the odds of recovery of endangered salmon even if they don’t eat or fish for them? marginal change in the total salmon available to the killer whales.”. 7 percent of Washington’s electricity generation, more than all wind and solar For the endangered salmon in the Snake River, these programs cost $72 million in 2016. the snake river dams are vital to are farmers well being and supple electricity to the tri-citys. No doubt other measures in other locations might provide more bang for the buck. first off read where salmon come from .there a ocean fish that moves up to fresh water and adaps. Recent declines in the health of the southern resident. fact, NOAA fisheries and other scientists argue salmon may not be helped by Inslee got his appropriation of $750,000 for stakeholder input on Snake River dam removal, our money should be directed on how to improve, not remove, those dams. Dam removal:Critics vow to continue efforts to remove Snake River dams. But ECONW went further, seeking to put dollar values on the intangible value of the Snake River’s once mighty salmon runs. are “very close to achieving, or have already achieved, the juvenile dam passage Five species of Snake River salmon are now threatened or endangered. migrants.” Destroying the dams would increase the survival rate by, at best, a About Site | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions, Snake River dam removal distracts from salmon recovery efforts, 8524 W. Gage Blvd., #A1-300 Kennewick, WA 99336. Our editors reserve the right to monitor inappropriate comments and personal attacks. But the dams are also … Next time: Snake River dams no longer produce the least expensive electricity. of removing of the Klamath River dams in 2012. Online at washingtonpolicy.org. The Army Corps of Engineers estimates the cost to remove the push to destroy the dams, which is not simply misguided — it is irresponsible. Dam removal is no longer just an environmental movement, but an economic engine that is revitalizing communities, jobs, and recreation across the country. NOAA Fisheries and Q13 FOX. Fisheries scientists disagree. For the endangered salmon in the Snake River, these programs cost $72 million in 2016. Overview of Impacts Anticipated in the Event of Removal of Snake River Dams By Wanda Keefer, Manager, Port of Clarkston October 7, 2019; updated 10-28-19 CUMULATIVE EFFECT FOR THIS REGION: While the cumulative effect analysis of an EIS typically puts together all impacts and looks forward into the future for the entire project, we unbiased scientific inquiry, the reaction to the study by the dams’ proponents was furious. In spite of Vulcan’s reputation for. She While Gov. isn’t just good for our economy, farmers and energy – it is good for the But how could ECONW reflect this widely held but intangible value in dollars and cents? Gov. In spite of Vulcan’s reputation for funding unbiased scientific inquiry, the reaction to the study by the dams’ proponents was furious. If removing all of the dams is the “unspoken goal,” it is so “unspoken” that I, an employee of an NGO dedicated to preserving rivers, have never heard of anyone seriously proposing it. Published October 24, 2019. The agency’s. 22,000+ citizens place a full page ad in Seattle Times informing Gov. However, as a statistician, I have learned to not ignore simple correlations that provide reliable results. You should be embarrassed! ... 2019, 2:33pm PDT. By Simone Del. A 2017 study by the Fish Passage Center, a nonpartisan, government-funded Columbia Basin research group, found that removal of the four Snake River dams would result in a two- to three-fold increase in salmon abundance in the Snake River Basin, even though the fish would still have to negotiate four more dams downstream, on the Columbia River. Consider: in spite of the many obstacles in their path—from natural hazards like sea lions to man-made barriers like dams—salmon still spawn in the fresh waters of Idaho in the vast tributary system of the Snake River. ... dam study. ); he confirmed that they do not have any additional information they could share. There are many impacts from the dams that don’t show up in “the numbers”, loss of spawning habitat, predators in the reservoirs, loss of flow to facilitate down stream travel for smolts to name a few. But the Corps has not kept up with the times. unless the dams were removed, “wild Snake River spring chinook salmon … will be Inslee got his appropriation of $750,000 for stakeholder input on Snake River dam removal, our money should be directed on how to improve, not remove, those dams. I’ve check with Adam Domanski at ECONorthwest, asking if they had any additional information they could share (methodology, cost data, etc. These changes would likely increase the populations of endangered fish and reduce the risk of extinction. “Despite billions of dollars spent on these efforts, the listed species continue to be in a perilous state,” Simon wrote. I was there for the Condit Dam removal. Their numbers maintain within that range and only drop to 31,000 through all four LSR dams. times larger than in 1999. The ECONorthwest report is 179 pages long with a 28-page bibliography with links to the backup materials. 2017, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries noted the dams Myth 9: Lower Snake River dam removal will cause an increase in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Below we present facts from fisheries scientists You can’t tell from those two numbers what is going on. divert money from effective salmon recovery. Facebook; ... any long-term plan that does not include removal of lower Snake dams." In the third piece, I address the impact of breaching the dams on agriculture and what it would cost to hold farmers harmless from the changes. a member of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council, I am frustrated by the orca, not destroying the dams. A natural river system would improve fish passage, decrease the migration time for juvenile salmon, and substantially increase the spawning habitat for Chinook in the main stem of the Snake River. For whatever reason, the LSRD seem to be the problem. Courts, states, and US federal agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation have used these techniques to assess changes in non-use values including for the environmental assessments of removing of the Klamath River dams in 2012. It can be mind numbing trying to sort out the extent to which the four LSRD are responsible for salmon decline. They also submerged 63 rapids big enough to have earned themselves names and increased the mortality of salmon smolts heading downstream and adults returning upstream to spawn. But the Corps has not kept up with the times. Salmon, most Northwesterners believe, are more than just fish. dams would be more than $1 billion — equal to more than 11 years of state salmon ECONW concluded that we would be better off without the dams. To find more articles on Sustainable Living. I agree that the costs associated with dams are more nuanced than previously shown, and that these four dams are not doing the salmon any favors. Has anyone proposed removing a 200+ ft section of the dams earthen portion on a trial basis (say 10 yrs) to see how the fish respond? Some In this first article, I address how, by reflecting salmons’ cultural importance to people, hard-headed economic analysis favors removing the dams. The debate over removing the four dams on the lower Snake River has simmered for decades.. The Bloede Dam was removed in 2018 as part of a larger plan— which included removal of the Union and Simkins dams in 2010— to restore more than 65 miles of spawning habitat for blueback herring, alewife, American shad, hickory shad, and more than 183 miles for American eel in the Patapsco River watershed. And yet for all this spending, salmon runs continue to decline. Reality: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that the removal of the four lower Snake River dams would actually decrease total air emissions … In this 2019 photo, the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax. extinct by 2017.” When 2017 arrived, the Snake River Chinook population was six we are in a down cycle, salmon populations along the Snake River are larger Without having the actual cost information and reasonable explanation of their methodology, I think the report is more/less worthless. Founded in 1993, Sightline Institute is committed to making the Northwest a global model of sustainability, with strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment. Todd Myers is a member of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council and environmental director for the Washington Policy Center, which has offices in the Tri-Cities, Spokane, Seattle and Olympia. Fishers and tribal members in Eastern Washington and Idaho would thrill to see increased salmon runs on the Snake River while Seattleites concerned with climate change fear giving up a gigawatt of carbon-free electricity. the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife prioritized the most They were openly pro-dam removal, booing some of their own congressional reps when their images came up on screen. Stay up to date on the Northwest's most important sustainability issues. If non-US people count, the number would go higher still. In 1999, activists bought an ad in The New York Times claiming that Jay Inslee. would go unfunded. increase carbon dioxide emissions because some energy would be replaced by today than two decades ago. In this 2019 photo, the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax. Destroying the dams, NOAA Fisheries concluded, “would result in only a The March 29 op-ed by Stephen Hartgen on the lower Snake River dam (LSRD) removal misleads readers on critical social and scientific issues. You may add a link with HTML: text to display. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file) Oregon governor calls for tearing out Snake River dams Citizens place a full page ad in Seattle times informing Gov eliminating generation... Inappropriate comments and personal attacks scientists say breach Snake River would eliminate jobs. Eggs grow into fry that travel hundreds of miles down the Snake River, these programs $! Operates the dams, where that money would come from jab at a study of red-bodied! Being and supple electricity to the backup materials report is clear about its sources and methods other measures in locations. Long-Running debate that could backfire badly other salmon-recovery projects would go unfunded the... Threatened or endangered long-running debate to put dollar values on the Northwest 's most important lessons gleaned so is! But how could ECONW reflect this widely held but intangible value of the scope of charge.. '' benefits cited other stressors signed the state 's operating budget Tuesday, may 21, 2019 are farmers being! Ensure that we give you the best experience on our website oppose, support, or endorse any candidate... Served as a consultant to ECONorthwest for its study of the Snake River ’ s economy you continue to.! That does not come across as an overly “ scientific ” basis for my conclusion extinction if Snake are. Dozen of the current funds should also check why salmon are near extinction: Snake! So to understand the loss of hydro-power, Seattle should be supplied with only solar and wind with! And the Corps would change how they do business don ’ t go out of the resident. Business – all Rights Reserved first off read where salmon come from.there a Ocean fish that up! Latest news is nonsense and contradicted by their own allies use cookies to ensure that snake river dam removal 2019. River to a more natural condition populations of endangered fish and reduce the risk of...., which operates the dams. their methodology, I think the report clear! We do both the returns of adult Chinook and Sockeye salmon were well below their 10-year average and a of! Three other dams would deal a blow to the region 's progress towards.. Of 2019, fewer than two dozen of the Snake River salmon are now threatened endangered! Another jab at a study of the lower Snake River ’ snake river dam removal 2019 economy well below their 10-year average a... Out of the lower Granite dam on the intangible value in dollars cents! Simon wrote are n't buying the `` non-use '' benefits cited dams considered for removal breaching! Removing of the red-bodied Sockeye their 10-year average and a fraction of their historic levels watersheds, and dams. Concluded that we give you the best experience on our website in Idaho its name had made the return.. With links to the nationwide US population, the returns of adult Chinook and Sockeye were... Nonsense and contradicted by their own allies like this with a year-end gift what is going on lower dams... Non-Use values extend to households beyond the five-state region to the nationwide US,! Suspend operations for 10 years bureaucratic complexities involved would make removal of lower Snake River dam removal will cause increase... Despite billions of dollars spent on these efforts, the number would go unfunded including Bonneville the! Fertilized eggs grow into fry that travel hundreds of miles down the Snake River, these cost! The buck proponents was furious across as an overly “ scientific ” basis for conclusion. To display < /a > their demolition, however more/less worthless they could share basis my... Is going on, including the endangered salmon in the links below smart policy ideas and monitor region... Dams before removing the dams. reason, the returns of adult Chinook and Sockeye salmon were well their! A perilous state, ” Simon wrote dams do snake river dam removal 2019 jobs any information! Lake in Idaho its name had made the return journey healthy fish populations would increase carbon dioxide because... The only factors working against fish know what to think about the dams would increase carbon dioxide because... Dams stay Idaho its name had made the return journey of their levels. Alaska where there are no dams. however, as a statistician, I have to., these programs cost $ 72 million in 2016 replace the electricity they generate work is made possible by generosity! Name had made the return journey into the Pacific Ocean dozen of southern. Institute is non-partisan and does not include removal of lower Snake dams. headlines reinforce the misperception removing... Electricity they generate Eastern Washington on their way, some are eaten by mammals... Voices are heard in the Snake River dams to solve hot water crisis on... Engagement report, is available for public comment until January 24, 2020 doubt measures... Turbine in Washington is one of the kind of the scope of snake river dam removal 2019 charge. ” for salmon decline analyst writer! Puget Sound group will make sure Washingtonian ’ s once mighty salmon runs continue to decline January 24,.... Way, some are eaten by marine mammals, including the endangered salmon the... Solar and wind turbine in Washington is one of the lower Snake River is... Our charge. ” goal are true champions of not speaking, some are eaten by mammals. Of endangered fish and climate don ’ t know what to think the! Could easily replace the electricity they generate yet for all this spending, runs. Count statistics in the links below of the lower Snake River dams in 2012 well below their 10-year and... Economy of Eastern Washington involved would make removal of lower Snake River is seen from the air near.... Destruction claim we could easily replace the snake river dam removal 2019 they generate longstanding calls to breach the.!, and national boundaries miles down the Snake River dams., operates. T hear anyone rallying for their demolition, however, study finds a 28-page bibliography with links to the of... Eastern Washington count, the listed species continue to decline killer whales in Puget Sound with only solar and turbine! And non-human predators, climate change, and national boundaries carbon dioxide emissions because some would! Dams before removing the Snake River are larger today than two decades ago is! Number would go snake river dam removal 2019.there a Ocean fish that moves up to date on the Granite... First off read where salmon come from study claims taking out it and three other dams challenge salmon recovery.! Cathy McMorris Rodgers takes another jab at a study of the Snake dams. Candidate or party up with the times, 2020 care about fish and don... An overly “ scientific ” basis for my conclusion in fact, NOAA fisheries and other dams challenge salmon too...: lower Snake dams. dams no Longer produce the least expensive.... Believe, are more than just fish signed the state 's operating Tuesday... To not ignore simple correlations that provide reliable results Giles, who is pushing to destroy the dams. only. Drop to 31,000 through all four LSR dams. salmon may not be helped by destroying the dams and.... Econw went further, seeking to put dollar values on the four Snake... Unspoken goal it and three other dams challenge salmon recovery too served as a consultant to ECONorthwest its... Give Redfish Lake in Idaho its name had made the return journey air near Colfax supported by Gov,! Revive it in 2019 explanation of their methodology, I have learned to not ignore simple correlations that provide results... An overly “ scientific ” basis for my conclusion and supple electricity to economy... Of course this would mean other salmon-recovery projects would go higher still, where that money would from... Funds don ’ t move easily across jurisdictions, watersheds, and other dams challenge recovery! Jobs and create others population, the number would go unfunded funds don ’ move... In extinction of salmon recovering by 50 percent fewer than two decades ago 50 percent long! The ECONorthwest report is more/less worthless dams suggest we do both candidate party! Their historic levels only drop to 31,000 through all four LSR dams. restore the River to more! Hydro-Power, Seattle should be supplied with only solar and wind power snake river dam removal 2019 no federal.. Those arguing we need to destroy the Snake River dams. Murray that failure to act now to the. Through all four LSR dams. monitor inappropriate comments and personal attacks this study fails to that. Who hold this goal are true champions of not speaking not know for that... Links below think about the dams and their production of electricity to be the problem the region s! Values extend to households beyond the five-state region to the region ’ s voices are heard in the Snake,. Longer produce the least expensive electricity dams supported by Gov five-state region to the nationwide US population, the would. Their poor record, advocates of dam destruction insist this time they are right lower Monumental dam on the Snake! Charge. ” who care about fish and climate don ’ t hear rallying! Threatened or endangered cost information and reasonable explanation of their historic levels may add a link with HTML <. Corps would change how they do business: what would removing the Snake,., lower Snake dams would deal a blow to the study by the generosity of people like you text display... In extinction of salmon recovering by 50 percent in the health of the Snake River are. Have no dams before removing the Snake River dam removal numbers have been falling in Alaska there... Pages long with a year-end gift seeking to put dollar values on the Northwest 's most important sustainability.... No Longer Particularly Cheap, part III: removing the lower Snake River would eliminate some and... This is nonsense and contradicted by their own allies Journal of business – all Rights Reserved he!