Thu., Nov. 13, 2025
By Josh Mills and Mike Leahy

Last June, the federal government turned its back on the Northwest when it unilaterally withdrew from the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, forged by the states of Washington and Oregon, four Columbia Basin Tribes, and community stakeholders – after extensive regional input. This agreement was an alternative to decades long lawsuits, and an important pathway forward to protect and recover wildlife, while meeting all the needs of impacted people and communities. After years of hard work, negotiation, and the collaborative agreements set forth in the RCBA were recklessly terminated, State, Tribal and NGO plaintiffs returned to court as the only remaining option to protect the fish that define this region – and request emergency measures to support their migration and survival.

Wild salmon and steelhead are woven into the region’s way of life, from opening day and the traditional family fishing trips to tribal traditions and the riverside communities that are home to small, successful guiding businesses. These spectacular fish connect Eastern Washington to the entire Northwest region, and they are recognized across the country as a national treasure. Yet they are in trouble. And we are running out of time to recover these endangered populations.

Meanwhile, we have another looming challenge on the horizon. The demand for clean, affordable and reliable energy is skyrocketing. The Northwest must have dramatically more power to propel the economy and ensure a prosperous future, as well as meet the energy needs that extreme and uncertain weather events will bring.

It may seem that those two goals – abundant salmon and steelhead runs and affordable, clean energy – are in conflict. They are not. Fisheries and energy experts agree: We can protect and recover our keystone species while also scaling up to meet our rapidly increasing energy demand.

To do so, we need a comprehensive solution that puts a fine focus on the Snake River, the largest tributary of the Columbia River, where four aging and costly dams are blocking 5,500 miles of pristine, cold, freshwater habitat and driving salmon and steelhead to extinction.

Let’s start with the dams. A heavily funded lobbying effort would have us believe that we are witnessing a rebound in fish returns. Snake River fishermen know this isn’t true for most salmon runs, and it’s best to rely on the federal, state and Tribal fishery experts, who are sounding the alarm. They concur that the four Snake River dams and their hot, stagnant, toxic reservoirs have cut off and degraded thousands of miles of once highly productive spawning, rearing and migratory habitat and are disastrous for cold-water fish–the largest source of human-caused fish mortality. In a 2022 report, NOAA Fisheries experts recommended recovery strategies including restoring and connecting habitat, improving hatcheries, and reintroducing fish to blocked areas – but acknowledged none can succeed if the dams aren’t addressed. We are losing these fish runs, and with them a robust recreational fishing economy bringing millions of dollars into Eastern Washington and rural communities throughout the entire Columbia/Snake River Basin.

Meeting future energy needs is also vitally important. Seismic shifts are underway as data centers proliferate and the electrification of our economy expands. From 2023 to 2028, the Pacific Northwest will see a load increase of 20%, and then 30% in the next decade. This is triple the prediction just a few years ago. How will we meet it? Certainly not with aging, costly infrastructure and run-of-river dams impacted by climate change. The Snake River dams produce less than 4% of the region’s energy. Less than 4%. You might as well set out for the channel in your dingy when the weather man is predicting hurricane force winds. The diminishing snowpack and ongoing drought spell on-going trouble for these aging run-of-river dams that produce only a marginal amount of power. This costly and limited power generation that is decreasing rapidly each year can be replaced and modernized with clean, affordable options as part of our region’s energy development.

We need to be cleareyed about how we’ll meet the region’s energy needs, the imperative to save its salmon and the comprehensive solution required to achieve both of these goals.

When it was announced in 2023, the RCBA provided that framework and a historic turning point. After decades of litigation and mediation to reach a collaborative solution, the region was finally on course toward restoring salmon and steelhead runs, investing in truly clean energy, honoring our nation’s promises to Northwest Tribes, and effectively planning and replacing important agricultural transportation and irrigation services. Considering the complexity of recovering an endangered species, the Agreement was the result of a truly exceptional effort, locally and regionally led, addressing everyone’s needs (fish, tribes, farmers, fisherman, rural businesses, communities) – and actually improving public services and regional economic opportunities.

But then the federal government threw it out.

It’s been disappointing to see this administration overrule all the progress made in the region in favor of returning to court. But we have no alternative but to ask the court to intervene if we want to meet the immediate survival needs of these fish. They need more than emergency measures. Now it’s up to us to support – and press – our leaders to keep working together to build new clean energy resources and rebuild abundant salmon.

Salmon and steelhead need a healthy, resilient river. And we need them. They are a national treasure, and we can’t let them disappear.

Josh Mills is a local fisherman and Mike Leahy is Senior Director of Wildlife, Hunting and Fishing Policy, with the National Wildlife Federation.

Spokesman-Review: Josh Mills and Mike Leahy: Clean power and abundant salmon – both are possible