By Bill Arthur, Chair, Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign, Alex Craven, Senior Campaign Representative and Irene Vlach, Oregon Chapter Campaign Representative.
On October 21 and 22, our campaign to restore the Snake River celebrated two major milestones. This is long-awaited news for those who cherish and rely on the Snake River– including Tribes, salmon and orca, local communities, and all who care about protecting this unique part of our heritage.
First, Senator Murray (WA) and Governor Inslee (WA) issued a statement on October 21 that covered next steps for a joint federal-state process on salmon recovery in the Columbia River Basin and the Pacific Northwest.
This is a first for elected leaders in Washington State. Senator Murray and Governor Inslee intend to conclude their stakeholder engagement and consultation with the tribes, and release their recommendations and plan of action no later than July 31, 2022. This initiative will analyze the replacement of services provided by the lower Snake River dams. In their joint statement they said:
“Saving our salmon is absolutely essential to Washington’s state’s economy and cultural heritage – it is an urgent undertaking that we are fully committed to. In May, we called for a regional process that ensures all voices in the region are heard and takes all options into consideration, including potential breaching of the Lower Snake River Dams...Today we are announcing a joint federal state process to determine whether there are reasonable means to replacing the benefits provided by the Lower Snake River Dams, sufficient to support breach as part of a salmon recovery strategy for the Snake River and the Pacific Northwest. We approach this question with open minds and without a predetermined decision.”
We agree with their focus and approach. Saving our salmon is equally essential to the economy of the whole region, including Oregon and Idaho. We are confident that there are reasonable, reliable, and affordable options for replacing the services of these dams. It is significant to have a Senior senator call the question and lead this initiative.
Second, the litigation against the Federal Agencies' Biological Opinion and the Columbia Power System operation has been stayed until July, 31 2022. Plaintiffs – including the State of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe, Sierra Club & other conservation NGOS – filed litigation over the Trump era plan in 2020, along with a request for preliminary injunction in July this year. Governor Brown has demonstrated strong leadership in the negotiations to reach a temporary agreement with federal agencies and the Biden Administration to pause court proceedings. This is good news because we have secured better river conditions for the salmon next year and a commitment to developing a comprehensive solution that recovers these endangered fish.
As part of the agreement, 2022 river operations will improve relative to this year's operations, with more spill over the dams on the lower Snake River dams and lower Columbia River dams. The Biden Administration importantly also committed to work with plaintiffs to see if we can reach agreement on a comprehensive plan for recovering Snake River salmon.
Removing the four lower Snake River dams will be an active part of this discussion. This correlates with the first announcement: if a favorable decision of dam removal is reached in these discussions, the issues in the case will have been resolved. Moreover, the Biden Administration is now involved and – for the first time in 25 years of litigation – senior representatives from the key agencies in Washington D. C. are part of discussions on river restoration. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, said in their announcement:
“The Columbia River System is an invaluable natural resource that is critical to many stakeholders in the Basin. Today's filing represents an important opportunity to prioritize the resolution of more than 20 years of litigation and identify creative solutions that improve conditions for salmon for years to come. While it is important to balance the region’s economy and power generation, it is also time to improve conditions for Tribes that have relied on these important species since time immemorial.”
These two announcements provide a unique opportunity to forge a comprehensive solution to restore the Snake River, its salmon, and to meet treaty right responsibilities. We are at a significant inflection point where senior leaders from all three Northwest states – Senator Murray and Gov. Inslee (WA), Rep. Simpson (ID), and Governor Brown and Rep. Blumenauer (OR) are all committed to securing a comprehensive solution, and that dam removal is either supported by them (Simpson, Blumenauer, Brown) or actively being considered. And, we have an engaged Biden Administration that sees this issue as important for meeting treaty right responsibilities, restoring natural resources, and making investments in clean energy. We're in a new zone of opportunity; Removing these four dams would be the largest river and salmon restoration effort ever undertaken.
Take Action
The Murray/Inslee initiative and the Biden administration engagement move us into a key period over the next 8 months to determine the fate of the wild salmon of the Snake River and to meet treaty rights responsibilities for the tribes.
Please take a moment to thank Governor Brown for her continued leadership and encourage her to engage with Senators Wyden and Merkley to work with Senators Murray and Governor Inslee to advance an overall solution.
Contact Senators Wyden and Merkley and urge them to lead a conversation in Oregon to assure that replacing the services from the dams meets the needs of Oregonians while removing the lower Snake River dams as expeditiously as possible.
Governor Brown: 503-378-4582
Senator Wyden: 202-224-5244 (DC Office); 503-326-7525 (Portland Office)
Senator Merkley: 202-224-3753 (DC Office); 503-326-3386 (Portland Office)
Resources
Conservation and Fishing Group statement on stay of litigation (Oct. 21, 2021)
Nez Perce Tribe statement supporting stay of litigation (Oct. 21, 2021)
Department of Interior statement on stay (Oct. 21, 2021)
Murray, Cantwell Joint Statement on Biden Administration Announcement of an Interim Agreement and Request for Stay of Litigation in Columbia River Basin Case (Oct 21 2021)
Senator Murray and Governor Inslee announcement on their initiative and path forward
Joint Statement from Patty Murray and Gov. Inslee on Joint Federal-State Process (Oct. 22, 2021)
The Seattle Times – Gov. Inslee, Sen. Murray pursue dam-breaching assessment on Lower Snake River
Time Magazine – How a Long-Shot Push to Remove Dams to Protect Wild Salmon Is Gaining Traction
Sierra Club – Northwest Salmon & Orca