By Irene Vlach
Last year was transformative for securing political leadership to address Snake River salmon and the need to remove the four Lower Snake River to recover these endangered runs. We now have senior leadership from all three states (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) engaged and saying it is time for a solution that works for the fish and communities that depend on the river and addresses treaty rights and social justice issues for the tribes.
Two significant developments underpin this year as the year of opportunity and decision to resolve this long-standing challenge:
1) Senator Murray and Governor Inslee of Washington State continue to advance their initiative to develop a salmon recovery plan by no later than July of this year. They are now honing in on identifying what is needed to replace the services currently provided by the dams. At the end of 2021, Governor Inslee added a contractor to his team to compile this information and expand their ability to engage with Northwest tribes and stakeholders. It is time for the Oregon congressional delegation to support and engage with the Murray/Inslee Federal-State process and assure a comprehensive solution is forged and passed by congress this year.
2) The Biden Administration and the plaintiffs in the long running litigation around the failed federal salmon plans for Snake River salmon reached an agreement to pause the litigation until the end of July 2022 and are working to develop a comprehensive salmon plan. The Sierra Club is one of eleven groups who have challenged the series of failed and illegal federal salmon plans along with the State of Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe. Oregon has been a leader and is directly involved with the talks with senior Biden administration officials.
On January 19th the CEOs of eight national environmental and conservation groups, including the Sierra Club, sent a letter to the entire Northwest congressional delegation urging members to work with Senator Murray, Governor Inslee, Rep. Simpson, the Biden Administration and others to forge a durable solution. They wrote:
We need members of the Northwest delegation, the Biden Administration, and state leaders in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to forge durable solutions that address the root cause of the precipitous decline of the salmon and make stakeholders whole. The science is clear: the biggest step we can take to bring back abundant salmon is to restore the lower Snake River and breach the four federal dams that have led to the collapse of Snake River salmon runs. We can do this and build a stronger future for everyone if we act now.
There is a lot of momentum building as we countdown to July for decisions by the Northwest delegation and the Biden administration. The opportunity has never been greater, and the need has never been more urgent. Time is running out for the fabled runs of the Snake River. Oregon has a big stake and role to play in urging effective action and working to develop a plan that removes the dams and restores the once abundant salmon runs. The Grand Ronde River, Imnaha River and their tributaries contain about 20% of the habitat for the steelhead and salmon that were brought to the edge of extinction by the dams on the lower Snake River.
Please call and urge Senators Wyden and Merkley (and your local member of congress) to engage and work with Senator Murray (WA), Governors Brown and Inslee, Reps. Blumenauer (OR) and Simpson (ID), and the Biden administration to develop an action plan that removes the lower Snake River dams, restores salmon, invests in communities, replaces the services of the dams, and honors our treaties with the tribes.
Senator Wyden: 202-224-5244; 503-326-7525
Senator Merkley: 202-224-3753; 503-326-7525
Switchboard Number for House Members: 202-225-3121