By Bill Arthur, Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign Chair
Right now, Congress is considering adding essential funding for salmon and orca in infrastructure and reconciliation legislation. We must honor our commitments to the tribes and break the cycle of neglect and failure that has gone on for far too long. Call on Governor Inslee and Senators Murray to save our salmon and orca:
Take Action!
On May 4th, Rep. Blumenauer and Rep. Simpson hosted a joint town hall on Simpson’s salmon and infrastructure proposal. This town hall marked a dramatic shift in the political landscape for the Snake and Columbia River salmon campaign. At the event, Rep. Blumenauer announced that he would step forward to work with Rep. Simpson to work on this important proposal to recover salmon and invest in energy, transportation and communities. The town hall showcased how two political leaders with very different political orientations could come together on an important regional issue.
Then, on Friday, May 14th, Senator Murray and Governor Inslee of Washington announced a stakeholder initiative to develop a comprehensive, long-term solution to protect and restore salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin, including the potential removal of the four lower Snake River dams. While their statement said that any solution must honor Tribal Treaty Rights and address the needs of impacted communities, it was disappointing that they chose not to embrace and build off the strong foundation that Rep. Simpson put forward earlier this year.
Despite this lack of coordination, we believe the Murray/Inslee initiative could advance a solution - if - key elements are included. The Simpson proposal will undoubtedly inform and substantially benefit this process since it was crafted by conducting over 300 conversations with stakeholders, public officials, NGO’s and tribes.
Later in the month, at the May 24-27th Convention of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, (ATNI) a strong resolution was adopted to support the framework and comprehensive proposal by Rep. Simpson. It called on President Biden and the 117th Congress to ensure that,
“funding is set aside now, at this critical ecological juncture for salmon and orca, to implement the bold actions for salmon and river restoration identified in the framework of Congressman Simpson’s Energy and Salmon legislative proposal, including restoring the lower Snake River by breaching the four lower Snake River dams.”
The ATNI resolution also called on the President to not defend the seriously flawed 2020 Columbia River System EIS, Biological Opinion, and Record of decision that was driven by a political timeline under the Trump administration. The ATNI is a regional organization of tribes and American Indians from Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, and Northern California. They spoke powerfully for salmon, orca, treaties, and people. Our elected leaders must heed their call, the truth they speak, and the leadership they are providing.
Essential Elements
With so much at stake, it is more important than ever that we speak with a clear and strong voice for our iconic Northwest species. We believe that for the Murray/Inslee initiative to succeed, several essential elements must be built into the process. These include:
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The process must be time bound and the work completed expeditiously (within 9-10 months) so that the Northwest delegation can deliver on the solution while they control the reins of power in key committees in Congress. There is no assurance of who controls congress after the 2022 elections. Snake River salmon and Southern Resident orca are in dire straits and further delay only brings these icons of the Northwest ever closer to extinction.
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We must be guided by the best available science which shows that recovery of Snake River salmon and steelhead requires removal of the lower Snake River dams. The overwhelming weight of the best scientific information is that a free-flowing lower Snake River is essential to recover its salmon, steelhead and lamprey populations. When climate change is added, it makes this conclusion inescapable. The Snake River Basin provides our single best opportunity to restore true salmon and steelhead abundance in the continental United States benefitting sport, commercial and tribal fishing communities and economies from Idaho to the Washington coast and beyond.
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It is essential that we secure substantial upfront funding. Any solution will require sufficient resources to fund the necessary infrastructure investments that will be needed for a comprehensive solution. The Biden Administration and Congress are poised to pass a very large $2 trillion infrastructure bill later this year. This is a once in a generation opportunity to make serious investments in infrastructure for energy, transportation and for salmon recovery.
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We must respect and honor the sovereignty and rights of Native American Tribes and the treaties that have been made. The commitment to “honor Tribal Treaty Rights” must be backed up by deeds.
Appreciations
Key electeds and tribal leadership have built the momentum to put environmental justice at the forefront of regional issues. A few appreciations are necessary:
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We appreciate the leadership by Rep. Simpson for putting forward a comprehensive proposal for restoring the Snake River and making significant investments in energy, transportation, and communities.
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We are also pleased that Rep. Blumenauer stepped forward to work with Congressman Simpson--both Simpson and Blumenauer have strongly stated their intent that the treaties with Columbia Basin tribes be honored.
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The support and work of these members of Congress along with Governor Brown of Oregon have kept the momentum pushing forward.
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The tribes’ leadership in the Columbia Basin and across the Northwest has put social justice and our commitment to honor our treaties and restore salmon squarely on the table.
Next Steps
While there has been important progress, leadership must come from the Northwest congressional delegation since ultimately, Congress has to deliver the solution. Having the senior member, Senator Murray, step up and agree to lead a process is significant. But the essential elements outlined above must underpin this effort and the tribes must be at the forefront of what is done. This process must not result in simply kicking the can down the road.
We also need leadership from the Northwest--Senator Wyden, Cantwell and Merkley along with House members from the Oregon and Washington congressional delegations. Right now, Congress is considering adding essential funding for salmon and orca in infrastructure and reconciliation legislation. We must urge our representatives to step up and seize this critical window of opportunity. Please take a moment to contact the two U. S. Senators and your member of congress and ask them to act expeditiously (use the four message points above) to save Snake River salmon and orca.
Senator Murray – 202-224-2661
Senator Cantwell – 202-224-3441
Your House member – call capital switchboard 202-224-3121, and ask to be connected to your member of congress