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Act Now: Urge your member of Congress to protect salmon and work together towards viable, modern SOLUTIONS that move our region forward!
On January 22, Sen. Jim Risch (ID) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-4) introduced legislation that undermines important salmon recovery efforts in the Columbia-Snake River Basin. Reps. Baumgartner (WA-5), Fulcher (ID-1) and Bentz (OR-2) and Sen. Crapo (ID) also co-sponsored this legislation.
The proposed legislation attempts to dismantle historic progress recently achieved by Tribes and Northwest policymakers to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to recover imperiled salmon populations with shared solutions that replace existing dam services, create jobs, and invest in clean energy and modern infrastructure—ensuring a more prosperous future for communities here in the Northwest.
The proposal continues harmful inaction and uncertainty, a costly status quo, and profoundly misguided failed policies. After decades of litigation and billions of dollars spent on required mitigation efforts, Snake River salmon and steelhead populations continue to decline to near-extinction thresholds.
Background:
Hydropower from the lower Snake River dams represents just 4% of the region’s energy generation. Generation from the dams has declined for years as climate change and drought deplete water, especially in summer when the region needs energy most. The dams themselves are antiquated and require costly upgrades—nearly 40% of their power components were rated as “Poor” or “Marginal” in condition, as of July 2023.
- A 2022 Northwest Energy Coalition report found that replacing the power generated by the lower Snake River dams with clean energy sources is feasible and cost-effective (NW Energy Coalition, 2022).
- The same study found that portfolios of new renewable resources would actually provide greater regional value than the LSRD, as new resources could provide more energy when the region needs it most—winter and summer.
- The lower Snake River dams are far from "cheap power"—they’re nearly twice as expensive ($36.69 per megawatt hour) as the other major dams on the Columbia River ($21.25 per megawatt hour). (BPA, 2024)
Wild salmon and steelhead are essential to our state’s cultures, economy, and ecosystems. However, 13 wild salmon populations are on the brink of extinction, returning to spawn at just 1-3% of their historic numbers. This severely harms Tribes, coastal and inland communities, and other fish and wildlife that benefit from salmon, including the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas. Four populations of ESA-listed Snake River salmon remain on the brink of extinction, despite billions of dollars spent on failed mitigation efforts.
- “Salmon recovery depends on large-scale actions,” according to NOAA's 2022 report titled "Rebuilding Interior Columbia Basin Salmon and Steelhead". “Inaction will result in the catastrophic loss of the majority of Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead stocks.” NOAA states that restoring Snake River salmon and steelhead to healthy and abundant levels would require restoration of the lower Snake River and its migration corridor by breaching the four lower Snake River dams as part of a comprehensive suite of actions.
Viable and Affordable Solutions Exist: Historic progress is underway to implement the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative (CBRI).
The CBRI, developed by the Six Sovereigns in 2023, establishes for the first time a comprehensive, regionally supported roadmap to rebuild imperiled native fish populations, honor Tribal treaty rights, and restore healthy ecosystems while supporting a robust Pacific Northwest economy. Support for and collaborative implementation of the CBRI is essential to the health of the Columbia/Snake Basin.
The U.S. Government is Obligated and Must be Accountable to Upholding Tribal Treaty Rights
The proposed legislation completely ignores the U.S. government’s obligations to Tribal Nations whose treaty rights have been undermined by the dams.
- The U.S. Department of the Interior's 2024 Tribal Circumstances Analysis outlines the historic, ongoing, and cumulative damage and injustices that the federal dams on the Columbia-Snake River have caused and continues to cause to Tribal Nations, and provides critical recommendations for upholding the federal government’s Treaty and trust responsibilities.
- Tribal treaty rights require the federal government to restore salmon populations.
By proposing this legislation, Risch and Newhouse are willfully ignoring all of the recent scientific consensus and expert analysis. They are perpetuating significant historic and continued harm to Tribes. They are misrepresenting the value of the LSRD. And they are missing an important opportunity to provide the leadership necessary to recover salmon, uphold our nations obligations to Tribes, invest in communities, upgrade and modernize critical infrastructure, and work collaboratively for a healthier, more resilient Columbia-Snake River Basin.
We look forward to working with all policy makers and stakeholders to continue advancing solutions that work for everyone. We invite Sen. Risch, Rep. Newhouse and the co-sponsors to join us in this effort!
Please join us and ACT NOW to urge your members of Congress to work together on actual solutions that recover salmon and invest in our communities—moving everyone forward together!
Photography by Northwest Artist Against Extinction collaborating artist, Dave McCoy.
Urge your member of Congress to support solutions that move our region forward together!
Photography by Northwest Artist Against Extinction collaborating artist, Dave McCoy.
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Photography by Northwest Artist Against Extinction collaborating artist, Dave McCoy.
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