Six hundred people, including Governor Bottolfsen and other state officials, met in Sandpoint in late June to oppose the dam. The protests continued into the summer when a congressional subcommittee held hearings in Sandpoint. Some of the most vocal opponents of the dam came from Clark Fork, where farmers stood to lose vast acres of rich delta farm land.
As a result of these protests, the prospect of a compromise appeared imminent by August 1943. A new proposal included construction of a dam and power plant at Cabinet Gorge, with a second at Albeni Falls. Despite the apparent compromise, the government postponed construction indefinitely.
