June 23, 2015

Contacts:
Todd True, Earthjustice, (206) 406-5124
Glen Spain, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, (541) 689-2000
Rhett Lawrence, Sierra Club, (503) 490-2869
Marc Krasnowsky, NW Energy Coalition, (425) 281-0668
Joseph Bogaard, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, (206) 300-1003

Fishing businesses and conservationists highlight fatal flawsin Obama administration’s Columbia Basin salmon plan

Plan violates federal law and harms communities across the Northwest

PORTLAND, Ore. — Attorneys for fishing businesses, conservation groups and clean energy advocates are in U.S. District Court today, arguing that the latest federal plan for protecting endangered Snake and Columbia river salmon and steelhead is as fatally flawed as its four illegal predecessors.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys, joined by the State of Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe, are telling the Court how the plan violates the federal Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.

“The Obama administration did not make the changes necessary to comply with federal law and protect endangered wild salmon and steelhead," said Earthjustice attorney Todd True.  "The same, misdirected path will neither lead to restoration of the Northwest’s favorite fish nor provide certainty for communities up and down the coast.  It's long past time for a new approach that follows the law and the science and looks for what needs to be done to protect endangered salmon and steelhead."

Beginning in 2003, federal courts have declared four successive Columbia Basin salmon plans illegal. Most recently, in 2011, U.S. District Court in Oregon ordered federal agencies to rewrite the first Obama administration plan, which differed little from those of previous administrations. The ruling also maintained the Court order for spring and summer spill to help migrating salmon in the interim.

But the latest plan, issued in January 2014, repeats earlier mistakes, ignores valid legal and scientific concerns, and even calls for reducing spill, our most effective short-term action -- short of dam removal -- for avoiding wild salmon declines.

“The federal government has turned denial into an art form by continually ignoring scientific experts and the law,” said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “For a quarter century, we’ve known that status quo dam operations couldn't restore healthy, fishable salmon runs. This deeply flawed plan fails to act on that knowledge and actually moves us in the opposite direction."  

As ocean conditions cycle into a less productive phase, effective river management becomes more critical to salmon survival. But the "new" plan, salmon advocates stress, fails to consider alternatives to business-as-usual dam operations. It compounds the problem by allowing reduced spill, lowering the bar for success by redefining the requirements of the Endangered Species Act, ignoring the additional harm caused by climate change and failing to account for the importance of Snake and Columbia river chinook to the survival of Washington's endangered orcas.   

“Families and businesses throughout the region have long-awaited a Columbia Basin salmon plan that balances their need for clean, affordable energy with wild salmon and steelhead protection," said NW Energy Coalition policy director Wendy Gerlitz. "We can have both wild salmon and clean energy. Unfortunately, the latest federal plan is holding us back."

The court is expected to rule later this year. Plaintiffs in this case include: American Rivers, Columbia Riverkeeper, Federation of Fly Fishers, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Wildlife Federation, Institute for Fisheries Resources, National Wildlife Federation, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, NW Energy Coalition, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Salmon For All, Sierra Club, and Washington Wildlife Federation.

Further Information: Go here for a 2-page factsheet with additional background on the litigation and the plaintiffs main claims in their complaint.

November 2, 2017

Contact:
Bill Arthur, Sierra Club, billwarthur@gmail.com, 206-954-9826
Liz Hamilton, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, 503-704-1772
Joseph Bogaard, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, joseph@wildsalmon.org, 206-300-1003

Twenty-five conservation organizations and fishing and whale-watch business associations call on Governor Inslee to act quickly to help critically endangered Columbia Basin salmon and Southern Resident killer whales.

Twenty-five conservation organizations and business associations sent a letter to Washington State Governor Jay Inslee today asking him to act quickly to raise Washington State’s water quality standards for the lower Columbia and Snake rivers in order to allow for expanded spill to improve survival of ocean-bound juvenile salmon. A modification in the state’s rules in the next several months would allow for increased spill levels during the upcoming juvenile fish migration to the Pacific Ocean this spring.

The letter emphasizes the urgency of the situation facing the orca, other fish and wildlife and fishing communities that rely on healthy salmon and steelhead populations: “Salmon returns to the Columbia Basin in recent years reflect a new downward trajectory that fisheries experts predict is likely to continue for the foreseeable future without new and meaningful action to stop and reverse it.”

The letter continues: “Washington State’s wild salmon and steelhead play a defining role for our identity, culture, economy and ecology. Healthy, abundant populations are critical to the health and welfare of tribal and non-tribal fishing communities, as well as more than one hundred fish and wildlife species.”

Liz Hamilton, executive director of the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association: “Spill keeps migrating juvenile salmon safer by sending water over federal dams in the Columbia and Snake rivers rather than through the powerhouses. Spill is one of the most effective immediate actions we can take to increase the survival of juvenile salmon and steelhead migrating to the Pacific Ocean. Most importantly, the more spill, the more adult salmon that return to the Columbia Basin and its tributaries in the years that follow.”

Bill Arthur, director of the Sierra Club’s Northwest Salmon Campaign: “We hope that the Governor acts quickly to take advantage of this opportunity. The wild salmon and steelhead of the Columbia Basin – and the orca and other fish and wildlife that rely on them – are in serious trouble today. Increasing spill as soon as possible is a critical near-term step toward healthier rivers and healthier salmon.

Many of the already imperiled populations of wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia-Snake River Basin have suffered steep declines in the last several years – causing grave concern among fish managers and spurring scientists and advocates to call on policymakers to implement new immediate measures that can help stop and reverse this downward trend.

The critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales have lost seven whales in the last year. With just 76 individual whales and no successful reproduction since 2015, this population is at its lowest level in thirty years. Lack of prey – chinook salmon – has been identified as a primary cause of decline for this orca population. Insufficient food resources has increased the number of deaths and decreased reproductive success.

Increasing spill over the lower Snake and lower Columbia River dams in spring and summer is widely seen by regional fish managers and scientists as our most effective action to help struggling wild salmon and steelhead populations in the near-term until the Northwest has a legally valid, science-based plan for the Columbia Basin in place. The federal government’s last plan was rejected in 2016 by the U.S. District Court in Portland. The judge overseeing the case ordered the federal agencies to produce a new plan in 2018 and complete by 2021 a comprehensive environmental review that carefully considers all recovery alternatives including the removal of the four lower Snake River dams.

The last five federal plans for Columbia Basin wild salmon and steelhead have been invalidated by federal courts. Despite more than $10 billion in spending by dam agencies over the last twenty years, not one of the basin’s thirteen populations protected under the Endangered Species Act has been restored.

The letter can be viewed and downloaded here.

###

November 5, 2015

For more information:
Sam Mace, Save Our wild Salmon
(509) 863-5696 // sam@wildsalmon.org

Kevin Lewis, Idaho Rivers United
(208) 343-7481 // kevin@idahorivers.org

Anthony Jones, Rocky Mountain Econometrics
208-631-4334 // tjones@rmecon.com

A system of outdated dams and locks on the lower Snake River in eastern Washington state is in continued and serious economic decline, according to two reports released this week by Save Our wild Salmon and Idaho Rivers United.

The reports, authored by economist Anthony Jones of Rocky Mountain Econometrics, look at the dams’ two main benefits or services: flatwater transportation and energy production. Together the reports demonstrate that 1) commercial navigation on the lower Snake River generates less than 50 cents for every dollar spent to provide it and 2) that electricity produced by the dams wouldn’t be missed if it were to vanish from the Northwest power grid tomorrow.

“These reports raise new and serious questions about the economic value and viability of four dams whose costs appear to exceed their benefits,” said Save Our Wild Salmon Inland Northwest Director Sam Mace. “Can our region afford to maintain high cost, low value infrastructure when other valuable projects in the Basin that deliver greater value are themselves facing expensive upgrades and repairs? Costs to maintain and operate this infrastructure are going to continue to rise as it ages.”

IRU Conservation Director Kevin Lewis said that for decades industry and federal officials have touted the “benefits” generated by the lower Snake River dams. “These reports and others clearly show that such assertions are less than honest,” Lewis said. “And while we’ve been enduring the government’s rhetoric, endangered wild salmon, Puget Sound orcas, and Northwest fishing communities have suffered as collateral damage.”

The overall costs and benefits of these dams have been in dispute for years. These two reports show that benefits are modest and shrinking, while costs are large and growing. These reports beg the question: does it make sense for the region’s ratepayers and nation’s taxpayers to continue throwing good money after bad, especially when critical needs elsewhere in the Columbia system are piling up?

Lower Snake River Dam Navigation Study:
The “Lower Snake River Dam Navigation Study” was commissioned by SOS. It shows that the ongoing decline of transportation on the lower Snake River is likely to continue. Since 2000 the economic benefits of shipping by barge on the lower Snake River basin have plummeted by approximately 60 percent, from about $19.4 million per year to about $7.6 million in 2014.

The costs of maintaining and operating this navigation corridor through these four federal dams on the lower Snake River, meanwhile, have steadily increased. When these numbers are placed side by side, the report determines that the corridor’s annual maintenance and operations costs today are more than twice its benefits.

While lower Snake River shipping costs have mounted and benefits waned, public and private investors have been focusing on expanding rail networks in and adjacent to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley. As a result, rail usage in this region has grown due to increased capacity, reliability and competitiveness when compared with waterborne shipping on the lower Snake.

Lower Snake River Dams Alternative Power Costs Study:
The “Lower Snake River Dams Alternative Power Costs” was commissioned by IRU. This study shows that the four dams on the lower Snake River “are neither a major or critical part of the Northwest energy landscape.” In fact, if they were to be removed tomorrow and their ongoing maintenance costs eliminated, residential power bills could actually decrease by about 6 cents per month.

Moreover, the study points out that the Pacific Northwest power system only runs at about 84 percent capacity with about 4,600 annual megawatts of surplus energy—more by far than the lower Snake River dams generate.

“To summarize, the [lower Snake River dams] are not needed from a capacity standpoint,” the study states. “From a cost standpoint there are options that result in lower cost power for Northwest ratepayers if the dams are removed.”

Rocky Mountain Econometrics (RME) has been actively analyzing Northwest energy and lower Snake River dam issues since 1985. In the 1980s and 1990s, the author served as staff economist for the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. In 1998, RME was hired by the state of Idaho to monitor the Army Corp of Engineers’ development of the Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Report/Environmental Impact Statement and the potential breaching of the four lower Snake River dams in Washington state.

The reports can be downloaded here:

Lower Snake River Dam Navigation Study

Lower Snake River Dams Alternative Power Costs Study

###

Editor's note: On Friday, Dec. 8, the United States State Department issued a brief announcement that talks between the U.S. and Canada to modernize the 50+ year old Columbia River Treaty would begin in early 2018. Senator Patty Murray's statement about this announcement is posted below the State Department media note. -jb

Media Note: Modernizing the Columbia River Treaty Regime Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 7, 2017 The United States and Canada will begin negotiations to modernize the landmark Columbia River Treaty regime in early 2018. Certain provisions of the Treaty—a model of transboundary natural resource cooperation since 1964—are set to expire in 2024. The Columbia River’s drainage basin is roughly the size of France and includes parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and British Columbia. The Treaty’s flood risk and hydropower operations provide substantial benefits to millions of people on both sides of the border. The Treaty has also facilitated additional benefits such as supporting the river’s ecosystem, irrigation, municipal water use, industrial use, navigation, and recreation. For further information, please email WHAPress@state.gov https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/12/276354.htm

-----------------------------------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 8th, 2017

Contact:
Kerry Arndt, kerry_arndt@murray.senate.gov, (Press Secretary)
Michael Brewer, michael_brewer@murray.senate.gov, (Deputy Press Secretary)
Press Office: 202-224-2834

Senator Murray’s Statement on Key Announcement on Columbia River Treaty Negotiations

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement in response to news that the United States and Canada will begin negotiations in early 2018 to modernize the Columbia River Treaty.

“The Columbia River Treaty is of immense importance to the economy, environment, and culture of Washington state and the Pacific Northwest. It is clear the Columbia River Treaty in its current form needs to be updated to meet the modern-day issues facing the Columbia River Basin, the region, and the nation. The outcome of pending negotiations will have major impacts far into the future for families in my home state and beyond. I welcome the news that the United States and Canada will begin negotiations, and I support these critical talks moving forward in an efficient, constructive manner that benefits every party involved.“

To read more about the Columbia River Treaty, please click here .

###

January 9, 2017

Contacts:
Todd True, Earthjustice, 206-406-5124
Liz Hamilton, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, 503-702-1772
Rhett Lawrence, Sierra Club, 503-490-2869
Joseph Bogaard, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, 206-300-1003

U.S. District Court approves joint federal-state proposal for 2018 spill plan to help juvenile fish migrating past federal dams and reservoirs in the Columbia-Snake River Basin
Increased spill will increase survival and adult salmon and steelhead returns in the years ahead.

Portland, OR – Today, United States District Court Judge Michael Simon (Portland, OR) approved a plan for increased spill at eight federal dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

This plan for Spring 2018 dam operations was jointly submitted to the Court last month by plaintiffs and defendants in the long-running legal case to protect wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin. It was developed in response to the Court’s April 2017 Order requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide more voluntary spill (water released through the spillways) to protect salmon and steelhead at risk of extinction.

Todd True, lead attorney for the plaintiffs: “There is no real scientific dispute that voluntary spill to the level required by the Court will avoid harm to juvenile salmon. In addition, this spill order has been carefully crafted to avoid any unintended negative consequences to navigation and other resources. In fact, it is very likely that spill at higher levels would afford additional salmon survival improvements.”

Plaintiffs include conservation organizations, fishing associations, the Nez Perce Tribe and the State of Oregon. Defendants include the Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and NOAA Fisheries.

Voluntary spill was first required during the spring and summer months at the eight federal dams in 2006 under the order of Judge James Redden after he had invalidated a plan from the federal agencies in 2004. The new spill plan approved by the Court today requires as much spill as is allowed under current state water quality rules for total dissolved gas (or “TDG”) unless there are compelling reasons to reduce it. Higher levels of spill help juvenile salmon migrating to the ocean in the spring and summer move past the dams more quickly and safely, and results in higher adult returns in the years that follow.

Liz Hamilton, executive director of the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association: “Increasing the proportion of spill is vital for the protection of salmon and steelhead, and for fishing businesses and communities across the Northwest. This order for additional spill will divert baby salmon away from powerhouses, increasing the survival of juvenile fish migrating past dams to the ocean, enhancing the numbers of adult fish returning in the years that follow.”

Rhett Lawrence, conservation director for the Sierra Club in Oregon: “Increased spill levels in 2018 will provide a much-needed boost for our struggling salmon and steelhead populations. Conservation and fishing groups are grateful for our partnership with Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe – working together for the Northwest’s iconic fish and holding the federal agencies accountable to the law and the people of the region.”

Joseph Bogaard, executive director of Save Our wild Salmon: “This order for additional spill in 2018 is a near-term life-line for our region’s endangered wild salmon and steelhead until we have a legally valid, science-based plan in place. This order gives our fish and the communities that rely on them some breathing room in 2018 while our region comes together on a long-term plan that improves the health of these rivers and recovers our struggling fish populations.”

Last fall, Washington State also clarified how it applies its water quality standards relating to total dissolved gas in the lower portions of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. This clarification by the state will allow incrementally higher levels of spill to occur in the spring and summer, leading to higher juvenile and adult returns than would have occurred previously.

In May 2016, Judge Simon ruled the federal agencies’ 2014 Columbia Basin Salmon plan is inadequate and illegal. This is the fifth consecutive federal plan (Biological Opinion or “BiOp”) deemed illegal by three different judges across two decades. Over this period, despite the federal agencies spending more than $10B on a series of ineffective, illegal plans to protect salmon and steelhead from a deadly federal hydro-system, not a single at-risk population has recovered.

While the federal agencies jointly submitted this proposed plan with the plaintiffs to increase spill, they also filed an appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last fall challenging the court’s decision to further expand spill. The appeal is on an expedited schedule and is expected to be resolved before the official beginning of the juvenile out-migration in early April of 2018.

You can read the signed order requiring more spill from the Court here.

American Rivers ■ Columbia Riverkeeper ■ Federation of Fly Fishers ■ Idaho Rivers United
Idaho Wildlife Federation ■ Institute for Fisheries Resources ■ National Wildlife Federation
Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association ■ NW Energy Coalition ■ Salmon For All
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations ■ Sierra Club ■ Washington Wildlife Federation
 
MAY 4, 2016

Contacts:
Todd True, Earthjustice, (206) 343-7340, x1030
Steve Mashuda, Earthjustice, (206) 343-7340, x1027
Glen Spain, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, (541) 689-2000
Rhett Lawrence, Sierra Club, (503) 490-2869
Kevin Lewis, Idaho Rivers United, 208-343-7481
Marc Krasnowsky, NW Energy Coalition, (425) 281-0668
Joseph Bogaard, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, (206) 300-1003
 
After last summer’s catastrophe fish kill caused by warming rivers, ruling highlights need for dramatic changes in federal dam management
 
PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon today invalidated the federal government’s 2014 Columbia Basin salmon biological opinion (salmon plan or BiOp). Judge Michael Simon ruled that this latest plan – like each of its four predecessors -- violates the federal Endangered Species Act and additionally the National Environmental Policy Act.
 
The Court sided with plaintiff fishing businesses, conservation groups, clean energy advocates, the State of Oregon, and the Nez Perce Tribe in finding the latest federal plan for protecting endangered Snake and Columbia river salmon and steelhead fatally flawed.  The Court rejected the BiOp inadequate and illegal on several grounds:
 
·      It rejected the plan’s foundational “trending towards recovery” legal framework that allowed the agencies to conclude that the plan was working “with very little actual improvement in fish abundance”;

·      It rejected the plan’s heavy reliance on uncertain and speculative habitat mitigation measures to make up for the harm caused by the dams;
 
·      It found the government failed to adequately assess the “potentially catastrophic impact” of climate change on the basin’s salmon and steelhead populations;  
 
·      It found that the agencies violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to consider alternatives to the current narrow approaches that have “already costs billions of dollars, yet they are failing” and;

·      It ordered a new biological opinion and full NEPA analysis that complies with the law no later than March 1, 2018.

“Hundreds of thousands of adult salmon died last summer because of warm water in the Columbia and Snake reservoirs,” said Todd True of Earthjustice, one of the attorneys representing the fishing and conservation plaintiffs. “The Court’s sharp rejection of yet another illegal federal plan for operating the dams on these rivers amplifies the clear warning that management of these dams must change dramatically -- and very quickly -- if wild salmon are to inhabit these rivers in the future. It’s time to finally get this right.”
 
“We need to seriously consider a plan that retires and removes the four lower Snake River dams. Only action on this scale has the potential to allow wild salmon to survive and recover in light of the vivid threat they face from a warming climate.”
 
Amy Kober, Communications Director for American Rivers, said the ruling makes plain the need for a new look at salmon recovery strategies on the Snake and Columbia. “Northwest residents and national taxpayers should welcome an honest review of what it will take to restore Columbia and Snake river salmon and steelhead to abundance while enhancing the region’s energy supply and agricultural economy,” Kober said.  “That means thinking big about how to accomplish these goals – not clinging to a status quo that’s not working for Columbia and Snake River salmon and all the different communities that rely on these rivers.”
 
Plaintiffs and others believe such a review would conclude that a free-flowing lower Snake River and healthy salmon populations will deliver far greater economic benefits to local communities and the region than do the increasingly costly dams. Commercial traffic on the lower Snake waterway has steadily declined for 20 years, while taxpayers are paying more and more to subsidize the dams’ maintenance and operation.
 
“This ruling is a big win for the people of the Northwest and the nation, and for salmon, for rivers and our Northwest fishing economy and culture,” said Save Our wild Salmon’s executive director Joseph Bogaard. “The message from the Court is clear: Federal agencies must take stronger, more effective action to protect our iconic salmon from a hydrosystem made more lethal by our warming climate. A major overhaul is needed and all options must be on the table.”
 
“This ruling should initiate a long-needed regionwide discussion of how to save wild salmon, cut Northwest family and business utility bills and build a truly clean energy future,” said NW Energy Coalition policy director Wendy Gerlitz. “All stakeholders need to look at up-to-date scientific and economic data and together forge a new plan for changing dam operations to protect salmon and making up for reduced hydropower with clean, reliable and affordable energy and energy efficiency.”
 
“The harmful effects of our warming climate are worsened by the dams and their slackwater reservoirs,” said Rhett Lawrence, the Sierra Club’s conservation director in Oregon “For decades, federal agencies have held back Northwest communities, wasted public money and delayed progress toward a true clean energy economy … all to protect harmful status quo dam operations that keep salmon at risk. This must change.”
 
With today’s ruling, federal courts have found illegal five successive Columbia Basin salmon plans dating back to 2003. The latest plan, issued in January 2014, repeated the mistakes of the past – ignoring valid legal and scientific concerns, and even calling for reductions in spill, our most effective short-term action -- short of dam removal -- for avoiding wild salmon declines.
 
“Now is the time for our political leaders to work with Northwest people to put into action a lawful, science-based plan that protects and restores endangered salmon and steelhead, and meets the economic, cultural, and environmental needs of our region,” said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “We all want a future with abundant salmon, affordable clean energy and healthy farms and communities. I hope this ruling leads all of us to look for a way to take the action needed to make this a reality.”
 
Plaintiffs in this case include: American Rivers, Columbia Riverkeeper, Federation of Fly Fishers, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Wildlife Federation, Institute for Fisheries Resources, National Wildlife Federation, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, NW Energy Coalition, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Salmon For All, Sierra Club and Washington Wildlife Federation.

April 24, 2023
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tanya Riordan, Policy and Advocacy Director, Save Our wild Salmon, tanya@wildsalmon.org

WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATURE TAKES IMPORTANT NEXT STEPS TOWARDS HONORING TREATY RESPONSIBILITIES TO TRIBAL NATIONS AND RESTORING ENDANGERED SALMON IN THE LOWER SNAKE RIVER

Olympia, WA, April 24, 2023. Yesterday the Washington State Legislature confirmed that honoring Tribal treaty rights and saving lower Snake River salmon from extinction are important priorities. The final 2023-25 Washington State Transportation and Operating Budgets funded planning to transition the energy, transportation, and irrigation services currently provided by the four aging dams on the lower Snake River. These plans are the concrete next steps to recover salmon, restore the lower Snake River and maintain clean energy and agriculture in the region.

Decades of scientific analysis and studies conclude - including a recent report from NOAA - the lower Snake River must be restored to stop salmon extinction, and save endangered Southern Resident Orcas whose primary food source is Chinook Salmon.

The four lower Snake River dams are federally owned and operated, and the final decision of breaching will be made by the federal government. Urgent action to develop specific plans to restore the lower Snake River in collaboration with Pacific Northwest Policy Makers, the Biden Administration, Tribal Nations, and stakeholders is necessary. Last summer Senator Murray and Governor Inslee stated in their final Lower Snake River Benefits Replacement Recommendations, the services the four dams provide can be replaced, and Washington State should move forward on “concrete next steps”. Governor Inslee and Washington State Legislators followed through on commitments made, and funding was included in the final 2023-25 budget, to begin the necessary planning to transition the services of the lower Snake River dams.

“These plans will enable us to strengthen and diversify our regional economy, and modernize our energy, transportation, and irrigation infrastructure as we work to stop the extinction of Snake River salmon.” – Representative Fitzgibbon, House Majority Leader, 34th legislative district

“The funding provided by the Washington State Legislature is an important step forward to bring people together, to help answer the remaining technical and financial questions, and begin planning to restore the lower Snake River in a manner that invests in NW people, cultures, communities and energy and transportation infrastructure.” – Senator Rolfes, Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, 23rd legislative district

Transportation:
Barge transportation has declined on the Lower Snake River by over 50% in the last few decades. The transportation budget includes $5-million for an analysis of highway, road, and freight rail transportation needs and alternatives to accommodate the remaining freight that still moves by barge through the lower Snake River dams. Although this plan must prioritize and focus on relevant planning measures to determine effective alternatives to barging, and be completed prior to the stated final report deadline, [to stop salmon extinction], it is an important step forward.

“With thorough planning and stakeholder engagement, we can provide effective, efficient rail and road infrastructure to maintain agricultural transportation in Southeast Washington.”
– Senator Shewmake, Vice Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, 42nd legislative district

Energy:
Washington State remains committed to clean, renewable energy. The final 2023-25 Operating Budget provides $2 million in funding, consistent with our state’s clean energy goals, to develop a detailed action plan to transition lower Snake River dam’s energy services in a manner that maintains reliability, adequacy, and diversifies and improves the resilience of the electric power system. 

The lower Snake River dams are aging and will require 21 new turbines in the coming decade, costing over $600 million. Mitigation for the decline of salmon has cost over $26 billion dollars and will only increase. These funds create a roadmap to instead put those resources towards replacing and improving our energy system, providing more output in summer and winter, when power is most needed, resulting in better year-round reliability and higher system value to the region.

"Washington state's commitment to clean, renewable energy paves the way for a brighter, more sustainable future. Should the Federal Government decide to remove the Snake River dams, we need to be ready with a plan to replace affordable, reliable, and clean energy sources as well as the riverine transportation network. This budget will allow us to be ready on day one.”
– Senator Salomon, Vice Chair of the Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee, 32nd legislative district

Irrigation:
Continued irrigation of the 53,000 acres of land that draw water from the lower Snake River is important. These large corporate and family farms produce products such as potatoes, onions, and fruit. The final 2023-25 Operating Budget provides $500,000 in funding for an analysis to plan for irrigation availability during drawdown and after the lower Snake River is restored, maintaining important agricultural production and jobs.

"By taking these important steps towards restoring the lower Snake River and honoring our treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations, we are not only saving a precious species from extinction, but we are also investing in our communities and creating a sustainable future for generations to come." – Senator Saldaña, Deputy Majority Leader, 37th legislative district  

Our region has spent tens of billions of taxpayer dollars on mitigation efforts, yet we’ve failed to recover even one of the 13 populations of salmon on the brink of extinction today. We have an urgent and historic opportunity right now to overcome decades of conflict, litigation, and the failed status quo– and instead work together, honor our treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations, invest in communities and infrastructure, develop new clean energy sources, and ensure salmon abundance for future generations.

“We know we can effectively replace the transportation, energy, and irrigation services of the 4 lower Snake River dams with reliable, affordable, modernized systems - but we must act urgently. Snake River salmon teeter on the brink today. Once they disappear, we cannot replace them or the many benefits they provide to our land, waters, cultures, and wildlife. Salmon, orca and fishing advocates applaud Governor Inslee and the Washington State Legislature for taking the necessary next steps to effectively plan for replacing the services and to stop salmon extinction.” – Joseph Bogaard, Save Our wild Salmon, Executive Director

"Earthjustice has represented fishing and conservation groups in court for years to compel compliance with our environmental laws and restore healthy salmon. That litigation is now paused, because we believe the best way forward is to work with the Biden administration, PNW policy makers, and stakeholders to develop and implement a comprehensive solution that includes restoring the lower Snake River. The funding Gov. Inslee requested and the legislature provided is an important step forward." – Todd True, Senior Attorney, Earthjustice

"The region, including Washington ratepayers, have spent over $20 billion dollars on actions that have failed to recover Snake and Columbia River salmon. The measures proposed by Governor Inslee and funded by the Washington legislature provide an historic opportunity to move forward with the plans to transition the services from the Lower Snake River dams and restore the river and its once abundant salmon runs." – Bill Arthur, Chair Sierra Club Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign

“On the heels of listing the Snake River as #4 on our Most Endangered Rivers Report, American Rivers commends the State of Washington for following through on the actions identified in the Murray/Inslee Report to move us toward a future without the lower four Snake River dams. The analysis from Washington state will be a giant leap forward in taking the steps necessary to replace the services the dams provide so that they can be removed to help recover Snake Basin Chinook, sockeye, and steelhead in the heart of America’s salmon country. Our hope is that in the not-too-distant future, we will be able to remove the Snake River from our Most Endangered Rivers Report and celebrate a river on the road to recovery.” – Kyle Smith, Snake River Director, American Rivers

“Governor Inslee and the Legislature recognized the urgency for salmon, and responded with a path forward that will modernize the benefits from the river and provide the best hope for salmon dependant communities and orca. This is a legacy pivot from 30 years of failed strategies and a vital step for salmon recovery that will benefit all of us, including our important fishing industry across the Pacific Northwest.” – Liz Hamilton, Executive Director, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Assn. (NSIA)

“Washington Conservation Action is grateful to our communities for advocating successfully for increased salmon recovery funding across all regions of the state. Local experts – from the Snake River in the southeast to Puget Sound basins in the northwest – have long identified what’s needed to ensure future generations have access to salmon,” said Mindy Roberts, Puget Sound and Salmon Program Director, Washington Conservation Action. “Each basin is different though. So while we embrace the opportunity to direct critical funds for locally vetted, on-the-ground actions, we know we need to do even more to save salmon from extinction.”

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Tribe applauds Murray and Inslee for championing a comprehensive approach to Columbia Basin salmon recovery and looks for immediate action and implementation on key commitments.

YAKAMA RESERVATION, TOPPENISH, WA – The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation (“Yakama Nation”) recognize Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Governor Jay Inslee (D-WA) for today’s release of their final report regarding the critical condition of salmon in the Pacific Northwest and the feasibility of breaching the Lower Snake River Dams and replacing their current benefits in order to improve salmon and steelhead survival.

“Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee have seen that the salmon, steelhead, and other anadromous fish of the Columbia Basin are in serious trouble. We appreciate their recognition that the status quo is not a responsible option if we want to avoid species extinction and continued decline,” said Chairman Delano Saluskin of the Yakama Tribal Council. “Yakama Nation agrees with the report’s conclusions that a comprehensive and aggressive basin-wide approach to salmon recovery is critical, and that Lower Snake River dam removal is a feasible option to aid the recovery of Snake River populations, which would in turn help remove restrictions on main-stem Columbia River fisheries.”

Yakama Nation understands that affordable, reliable, and environmentally responsible power and transportation options are critical to all communities in the Pacific Northwest – both tribal and non- tribal. But Yakama Nation also supports breaching the Lower Snake River dams, because we understand that the Pacific Northwest will not see a fully restored Columbia Basin fishery while those dams are in place.

“Healthy, harvestable Columbia Basin salmon runs benefit the cultural, natural, and economic vitality of all communities in the Pacific Northwest – rural and urban, Democrat and Republican, tribal and non-tribal,” said Yakama Fish & Wildlife Committee Chairman Jeremy Takala. “We cannot allow salmon recovery to become a dysfunctional, partisan political issue if we want our children and our grandchildren to have fish. In the Yakima River Basin, with the leadership of Senators Cantwell and Murray, Congressman Newhouse, and the State Department of Ecology as supported by Governor Inslee, we have been able to bring together tribal, agricultural, and other community stakeholders to develop an integrated and bi-partisan plan to address both salmon recovery and other community goals. We did so among parties who at one point had strong disagreements. This is what we must do now across the Columbia River Basin.”

Recommendations issued by Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee include commitments that support key issues championed by Yakama Nation as critical elements of a comprehensive Columbia Basin salmon solution:

• Completing roughly one billion dollars in backlogged projects already identified as necessary or regionally recommended;
• Transitioning the Bonneville Power Administration out of the fish and wildlife mitigation business and instead putting expert tribal and state fisheries co-managers in charge of restoration work;
• Providing significant increased resources for mitigation actions necessary to ensure fish population health in the face of increased environmental pressures;
• Ensuring that new energy and transportation infrastructure projects are developed in a manner that respects tribal sovereignty, protects tribal treaty rights, and affords economic opportunities to tribal communities; and
• Putting dam removal on the table as soon as practicable.

“Yakama Nation looks forward to working closely with Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee as they implement their commitments and develop proposals to support immediate and significant actions to save our salmon,” Chairman Saluskin stated. “Words are good, but action is what is necessary. We will be watching closely to see if these commitments are honored and fulfilled in a timely manner.”

“As Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee have recognized, the construction of the federal hydro system in the Columbia Basin resulted in disproportionate harm to tribal communities, while failing to provide us with equal benefits,” said Councilman Takala. “Replacement energy and transportation projects implemented to facilitate dam breaching must have tribal agreement and should not be done at the expense of tribal rights like the hydro system was. Instead, tribes must have a leadership role at the table so we can avoid repeating past mistakes and instead use these opportunities to benefit impacted tribal communities.”

For additional information, contact Yakama Nation Executive Secretary Gerald Lewis at (509) 865-5121.

SOS extends a huge "thank you" to PATAGONIAfor their ongoing campaign in support of lower Snake River dam removal.  Their latest short film Free the Snake currently featured on National Geographic's website highlights the ecological benefits of a free-flowing Snake River and the declining benefits of the high-cost low-value Snake River dams.  Watch the film here.

We are very grateful for the tremendous work Patagonia continues to do on behalf of free-flowing rivers and wild salmon and steelhead. The company and its founder Yvon Chouinard have supported lower Snake River dam removal for decades.  Patagonia's award-winning film DamNation has inspired thousands of people around the country to call for removing these salmon-killing money-losing dams.  More than 70,000 citizens have signed the petition urging President Obama to put dam removal back on the table.  And thousands more contacted Senators Murray and Cantwell urging them to do the same after Patagonia sponsored these adsin Washington State.

Thank you Patagonia!

Portland, OR – Today, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber announced his support for a new approach to salmon restoration on the Columbia-Snake Rivers, one that brings people together to resolve this issue and finds common ground in a debate that has lasted 20 years. In his op-ed published in the Oregonian online today, the Governor cites litigation success but a need to do more, sooner for Northwest salmon and jobs.

Stated Governor Kitzhaber, “By gathering the parties around a table, and working in good faith to reach common ground on a fisheries plan that is supported by sound science, we can come to the 2014 deadline with an historic agreement that ends the 20-year chapter of salmon wars in the Columbia basin, an agreement that protects fish while maintaining our supply of clean and affordable energy.”

Said SOS executive director Pat Ford, “On behalf of the many businesses and countless citizens working to restore healthy Northwest salmon populations and to rebuild the jobs that they support - we applaud Governor Kitzhaber for his leadership. The Governor understands how a strong economy and healthy environment go hand-in-hand. Working together, we will recover salmon, create jobs, and expand our region’s clean energy sector.”

"Healthy wild salmon populations and healthy rivers to which they return are important for our business and the recreation industry across the US. The recreation economy, which we're a part of, contributes $200 billion to the west coast each year and is growing," said Paul Fish, president and CEO of Mountain Gear, based in Spokane, WA. "Governor Kitzhaber's' vision to involve the affected communities and stakeholders in finding a viable solution is a huge step forward."

Added Bill Arthur, deputy national field director for the Sierra Club, “The status quo policies of the federal agencies for wild salmon over the past decade have failed our salmon, communities, and region. The path forward that Governor Kitzhaber is suggesting is a badly needed breath of fresh air and offers the opportunity for all serious parties and stakeholders to help create a real solution.  We applaud his leadership and vision and call on the Administration to embrace this positive and solutions-oriented approach."

Governor Kitzhaber has long supported restoring salmon in the Columbia-Snake. The federal agencies responsible for restoring salmon have thus far only produced plans deemed illegal in federal court over the last decade. The Governor’s call for a stakeholder process is timely, and supported by nearly 1,200 American businesses, 52 members of Congress, the Nez Perce Tribe, tens of thousands of Americans, and multiple national newspapers.

Tacoma, WA –Today, a coalition of fishermen and sport fishing associations, partnering with salmon conservation groups, asked a Washington State appeals court to help the downstream migration of endangered salmon.

The appeal seeks to overturn a Superior Court ruling to ensure that Washington's water quality standards effectively protect salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The groups have asked the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) to heed the best available science and revise Washington's existing Total Dissolved Gas (TDG) limits to assist young salmon making their journey to the sea. Ecology has thus far refused to do so, despite scientific support for the revision. Making revisions to Washington’s TDG standards could increase survival rates of migrating salmon by up to nine percent (9%), a significant improvement in light of the crisis endangered salmon currently face.

"The issue of whether we do more for salmon in the Columbia and Snake Rivers is synonymous with whether we're serious about protecting fishing families,“ said Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association (NSIA) Executive Director Liz Hamilton. “It's not just about salmon; it's also about our businesses and all the people salmon employ. The Department of Ecology should not be allowed to ignore mounting science on the benefits of spill for increasing salmon returns."

Ecology's repeated refusal to update its standards has failed endangered salmon by limiting beneficial water releases over dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Releasing -- or "spilling" -- water over the dams, rather than forcing it through turbines and complex bypass systems, is the safest and best way for young salmon to get to sea.

"Safe spill is a proven, effective action that will help to ensure there will be sustainable salmon runs for the people and communities that depend on them," said Glen Spain of Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA). "The chance to take a single administrative action that could get us up to 9% more salmon survival is significant and should be a no-brainer. Ecology's refusal to make this standard more beneficial to salmon is a missed opportunity."

"It's unfortunate that we're still arguing with Ecology about this when every fisheries manager in the region – including Ecology's counterpart agency in Oregon – agrees that making the standard more protective is necessary to help endangered salmon," said Earthjustice attorney Steve Mashuda. "We're continuing the fight despite their repeated refusals and hope Washington will finally adopt a common-sense, biologically-sound approach to give endangered salmon a better chance of surviving."

A ruling in the appeal filed today could occur in early to mid-2012.

-- REPORT FOR AUGUST 30, 2016 --

INTRODUCTION: With weekly updates, The Hot Water Report 2016tracks water temperatures, salmon survival and climate related developments in the Columbia-Snake River Basin this summer.  The report is updated weekly - published here every Tuesday - from early July through September. Each week we will share the most recent temperature data from the Columbia-Snake Rivers, news stories on climate change and current conditions for rivers and fisheries, and share information on actions state and federal agencies and our communities can take to ensure safer, healthier rivers for salmon and steelhead. We will include first-person accounts from anglers, guides, scientists and citizens on the Columbia-Snake rivers this summer.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send to Sam Mace.

This is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United and Sierra Club.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS (4/1-8/30)

The graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Snake River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-8 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperatures at each of the four lower Snake River reservoirs since April 1. As one can see, earlier this season, daily mean water temperatures were frequently considerably warmer than the average daily mean temperature collected over the last 1-8 years. There has been considerably more overlap in these temperatures since approximately the middle of July.

Notably, temperatures in the Lower Snake River appear to be beginning to slowly decline. This of course is good news for stressed and endangered salmon and steelhead that are still moving through this reach of the river - upstream as adults or downstream as juveniles. Temperatures in the Lower Granite Dam reservoir are the lowest - still hovering around 66 degrees - and safe for salmon and steelhead. Temperatures in the reservoir behind Little Goose Dam are a little higher, but still at or close to 68 degrees. Further downstream in the reservoirs of Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor Dams  - temperatures are now about 68 degrees. Ice Harbor Dam's reservoir still has the highest temperatures, but it is cooler this week than during the last 6 weeks.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER DAMS (4/1-8/30)

This second graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Columbia River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-20 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperature at each of the four lower Columbia River reservoirs since April 1. Like the upper graph, earlier this season, daily mean water temperatures were frequently considerably warmer than the average daily mean temperature collected over the last 1-20 years. These temperature differentials have tightened considerably since approximately the middle of July.

Notably, temperatures in all Lower Columbia River reservoirs continue to read consistently above 70 degrees F. - at or above 72 degrees Fahrenheit. These sustained, high temperatures in the lower Columbia and lower Snake rivers are harming fish returning to the Snake River and its tributaries - with lethal and sub-lethal impacts.

These two tables reflect the previous week's high water temperatures in each of the eight reservoirs created by the lower Snake and lower Columbia River dams. On the lower Snake River between August 24 and 30, temperatures have exceeded 68 degrees Fahrenheit twice in Little Goose, five days in Lower Monumental reservoir and all seven days in Ice Harbor reservoir. Temperatures in each of the lower Columbia River reservoirs have exceeded 68 degrees every day. In fact, there were no readings in the lower Columbia below 70 degrees this past week. This week's overall high temperature recording - 72.32 in John Day pool - was more than 1 degree cooler than last week's high in the Columbia (73.58 degrees in the reservoir behind the Dalles Dam).

Overall in the four lower Snake River reservoirs, 68 degrees has been reached or exceeded 14 times this past week (the previous week was 16) and 124 times so far this summer.

In the four lower Columbia River reservoirs, 70 degrees has been exceeded every day in all four reservoirs for a total of 28 times this past week and 199 times so far this summer. Recreational fishermen have told us that while there are decent numbers of fish in the lower river, they are stressed by the high temperatures and not biting. Catch rates in recent weeks have been very low.

Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68 degrees and the farther the temperatures rise above 68 degrees, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism/increased energy usage, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and/or death.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State.Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

THIS WEEK ON THE RIVER: Scientists and river managers are paying increasing attention to how migrating salmon rely on cold water refuges, whether they be mainstream rivers, tributary rivers and streams, springs or other sources.  Columbia Basin Bulletin ran this story last week looking at the latest research.  Some of these cold water sources have been buried under reservoirs making them less accessible or inaccessible to stressed wild salmon and steelhead.  Removal of the four lower Snake River dams would deliver multiple benefits, including speeding migrating smolts toward salt water and reducing water temperatures throughout the lower Snake River corridor.  An additional benefit of a restored Snake would be making incoming springs, streams and rivers more accessible to migrating adult salmon, providing cool water stops where fish could rest and wait for lower temperatures when the region experiences heat waves.  Providing cold water “breathers” for our imperiled wild fish populations will become ever more imperative as our climate warms.

Read the full CBB story here.

LINKS TO 2016 HOT WATER REPORTS AND OTHER RESOURCES:

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #1 - July 6

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #2 - July 12

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #3 - July 19

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #4 - July 26

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #5 - August 2

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #6 - August 9

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #7 - August 16

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #8 - August 23

SELECT 2016 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Lawsuit Aims To Lower Columbia And Snake River Temperatures For Salmon (Oregon Public Radio, August 15, 2016)

MEDIA: Hot water poses ongoing threat to Columbia River salmon, groups say(Spokesman Review, August 15, 2016)

MEDIA: Reservoir Drawdown Could Spare Fish (Lewiston Morning Tribune, July 17, 2016)

MEDIA: Steps Taken To Cool Warming Lower Snake, Reduce Thermal Blocks As Large Basin Sockeye Return Heads Upstream (Columbia Basin Bulletin, July 1, 2016)

MEDIA: Columbia Basin Salmon/Hydro Managers Gear Up For Another Hot Summer: Will Sockeye Get Slammed Again? (Columbia Basin Bulletin, June 2016)

MEDIA:Middle Fork could regain role as salmon nursery (Idaho Mountain Express, May 27, 2016)

POLICY: EPA Comments on NOAA Fisheries 2015 Adult Sockeye Salmon Passage April 2016 draft Report(May, 2016)

LAW: N.W.F et al v. N.M.F.S. - U.S. District Court Opinion rejecting the federal salmon plan for Columbia and Snake river salmon and steelhead (Note: The Court's lengthy discussion of climate change begins on page 86. May 4, 2016)

MEDIA: Last year’s heat wave doomed nearly all Okanogan sockeye salmon(Seattle Times, April 13, 2016)

REPORT: Data Request Drawing Down Lower Granite Reservoir to Better Meet Water Quality Standards for Temperature(Fish Passage Center, June 2016)

SELECT 2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Preliminary 2015 Spring Juvenile Survival Estimates Through Snake/Columbia River Dams Dismal (Columbia Basin Bulletin, October 23, 2015)

MEDIA: Dead Salmon, climate change and Northwest dams(Seattle Times Guest Opinion, August 2, 2015)

MEDIA: Snowpack drought has salmon dying in overheated rivers (Seattle Times, July 25, 2015)

MEDIA: Biologists bring sockeye into Idaho on trucks to get them out of hot water(Idaho Statesman, July 2015)

REPORT: Restoring Wild Salmon: Power system costs and benefits of lower Snake River dam removal(NW Energy Coalition, August 2015)

SELECT PRE-2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

REPORT: Bright Future: How to keep the Northwest’s lights on, jobs growing, goods moving, and salmon swimming in the era of climate change(NW Energy Coalition, 2009)

FACTSHEET: Bright Future 4-page summary factsheet(2009)

REPORT: A Great Wave Rising: Solutions for Columbia and Snake River Fish in an Era of Climate Change(SOS, NW Energy Coalition, Sierra Club, 2008

-- REPORT FOR JULY 26, 2016 --

INTRODUCTION: With weekly updates, The Hot Water Report 2016tracks water temperatures, salmon survival and climate related developments in the Columbia-Snake River Basin this summer.  The report is updated weekly - published here every Tuesday - from early July through September. Each week we will share the most recent temperature data from the Columbia-Snake Rivers, news stories on climate change and current conditions for rivers and fisheries, and share information on actions state and federal agencies and our communities can take to ensure safer, healthier rivers for salmon and steelhead. We will include first-person accounts from anglers, guides, scientists and citizens on the Columbia-Snake rivers this summer.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send to Sam Mace.

This is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United and Sierra Club.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS (4/1-7/24)

The graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Snake River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-8 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperatures at each of the four lower Snake River reservoirs since April 1. As one can see, this year's daily mean water temperatures are frequently considerably warmer than the average daily mean temperature collected over the last 1-8 years.

Notably, Ice Harbor Dam reservoir average temperatures continue to rise above the 68 degree mark and are now very close to reaching 70 degrees. Temperatures in the Lower Monumental Dam reservoir continue to hover around 68 degrees while temperatures at Little Goose and Lower Granite reservoirs are not showing consistent trends but average temperatures are close to - but currently under - 68 degrees.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER DAMS (4/1-7/24)

This second graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Columbia River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-20 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperature at each of the four lower Columbia River reservoirs since April 1. Like the upper graph, this one also reflects consistently higher water temperatures so far this year, when compared to average daily mean temperature based on data collected over the last 1-20 years.

Notably, average temperatures at the four lower Columbia River dam reservoirs have continued their steady upward trend - and are now all above 68 degrees.

These two tables reflect the previous week's high water temperatures in each of the eight reservoirs created by the lower Snake and lower Columbia River dams. Between July 18 and 24, temperatures have exceeded 68 degrees Fahrenheit between 2 and 7 time in three of the four lower Snake River reservoirs. Temperatures in each of the lower Columbia River reservoirs have exceeded 68 degrees between 6 and 7 times.

Overall in the lower Snake River reservoirs, 68 degrees has been reached or exceeded 14 times this past week and 42 times so far this summer.

In the lower Columbia River reservoirs, 68 degrees has been reached or exceeded 27 times this past week and 57 times so far this summer.

Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68 degrees and the farther the temperatures rise above 68 degrees, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism/increased energy usage, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and/or death.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State.Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

THIS WEEK ON THE RIVER: EPA PRESSES NOAA TO THINK BIG TO COMBAT HOT RIVERS & POACHED SALMON: Earlier this spring, EPA's Daniel Opalski sent a letter to NOAA's Michael Tehan urging the agency charged with protecting the Northwest's wild salmon and steelhead to consider additional recommendations and actions to better protect at-risk fish in the Columbia and Snake Rivers from hot water events in the June and July. The EPA is concerned that NOAA's recommendations are limited to "micro-scale temperature improvements at specific dams" and believes that additional measures be considered that "focus on reducing the overall river temperatures" in June and July to improve adult and juvenile salmon survival.

68 degrees F (20 degrees C) is the threshold at which water temperatures begin to harm salmon. Sockeye salmon are particularly at risk as temperatures above 68 degrees result in alarming rates of mortality. According to Mr. Opalski, the Director of EPA's Office of Water and Watersheds, keeping temperatures below 68 in the Lower Columbia and Snake Rivers “would be beneficial for adult summer Chinook and steelhead survival as well and would also be beneficial to juvenile salmon and steelhead out migrating during this period.”
 
To combat high temperatures in the lower Snake River, the EPA proposed various mitigation measures to keep temperatures below 68 degrees. Included in these measures is a recommendation to evaluate the Dworshak Dam cold water release program. This program releases cool water into the Clearwater River just before it enters the lower Snake River upstream of Lower Granite dam. (The beneficial effects of this program can be seen in the graphs above that track daily average water temperature throughout the lower Snake River.)

The EPA also calls on NOAA to evaluate lower Snake River dam operations and asks for recommendations to maximize the impact of the cool water released from Dworshack through all four of the lower Snake River dams. As shown on the graph above, the cold water releases from Dworshack can have a significant effect on water temperatures at the Lower Granite Dam reservoir, but those effects taper the further downriver you go. The release of Dworshak's water appears to have little to no effect on temperatures at Ice Harbor dam.

You can read the EPA's letter to NOAA here.

LINKS TO 2016 HOT WATER REPORTS AND OTHER RESOURCES:

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #1 - July 6

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #2 - July 12

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #3 - July 19

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #4 - July 26

SELECT 2016 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Reservoir Drawdown Could Spare Fish (Lewiston Morning Tribune, July 17, 2016)

MEDIA: Steps Taken To Cool Warming Lower Snake, Reduce Thermal Blocks As Large Basin Sockeye Return Heads Upstream (Columbia Basin Bulletin, July 1, 2016)

MEDIA: Columbia Basin Salmon/Hydro Managers Gear Up For Another Hot Summer: Will Sockeye Get Slammed Again? (Columbia Basin Bulletin, June 2016)

MEDIA:Middle Fork could regain role as salmon nursery (Idaho Mountain Express, May 27, 2016)

POLICY: EPA Comments on NOAA Fisheries 2015 Adult Sockeye Salmon Passage April 2016 draft Report(May, 2016)

LAW: N.W.F et al v. N.M.F.S. - U.S. District Court Opinion rejecting the federal salmon plan for Columbia and Snake river salmon and steelhead (Note: The Court's lengthy discussion of climate change begins on page 86. May 4, 2016)

MEDIA: Last year’s heat wave doomed nearly all Okanogan sockeye salmon(Seattle Times, April 13, 2016)

REPORT: Data Request Drawing Down Lower Granite Reservoir to Better Meet Water Quality Standards for Temperature(Fish Passage Center, June 2016)

SELECT 2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Preliminary 2015 Spring Juvenile Survival Estimates Through Snake/Columbia River Dams Dismal (Columbia Basin Bulletin, October 23, 2015)

MEDIA: Dead Salmon, climate change and Northwest dams(Seattle Times Guest Opinion, August 2, 2015)

MEDIA: Snowpack drought has salmon dying in overheated rivers (Seattle Times, July 25, 2015)

MEDIA: Biologists bring sockeye into Idaho on trucks to get them out of hot water(Idaho Statesman, July 2015)

REPORT: Restoring Wild Salmon: Power system costs and benefits of lower Snake River dam removal(NW Energy Coalition, August 2015)

SELECT PRE-2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

REPORT: Bright Future: How to keep the Northwest’s lights on, jobs growing, goods moving, and salmon swimming in the era of climate change(NW Energy Coalition, 2009)

FACTSHEET: Bright Future 4-page summary factsheet(2009)

REPORT: A Great Wave Rising: Solutions for Columbia and Snake River Fish in an Era of Climate Change(SOS, NW Energy Coalition, Sierra Club, 2008)

-- REPORT #1 FOR JULY 6, 2016 --

INTRODUCTION: With weekly updates, The Hot Water Report 2016will track water temperatures, salmon survival and climate related impacts in the Columbia-Snake River Basin this summer.  The report will be updated weekly - published here every Tuesday - from early July through the end of September. Each week we will share the most recent temperature data from the Columbia-Snake Rivers, news stories on climate change and current conditions for rivers and fisheries, and share information on actions state and federal agencies and our communities can take to ensure safer, healthier rivers for salmon and steelhead. We will include first-person accounts from anglers, guides, scientists and citizens on the Columbia-Snake rivers this summer.   

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send to Sam Mace.

This is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Columbia Riveerkeeper, Idaho Rivers United and Sierra Club.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT 4 LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS

The graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Snake River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-8 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperature at each of the four lower Snake River reservoirs since April 1. As one can see, this year's daily mean water temperatures are frequently considerably warmer than the average daily mean temperature collected over the last 1-8 years.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT 4 LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER DAMS

This second graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Columbia River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-20 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperature at each of the four lower Columbia River reservoirs since April 1. Like the upper graph, this one also reflects consistently higher water temperatures so far this year, when compared to average daily mean temperature based on data collected over the last 1-20 years.

Further, for the first time this year, water temperatures on the lower Snake River have exceeded 68 degrees - in the reservoir behind Little Goose Dam. Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68 degrees and the farther the temperatures rise above 68 degrees, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism/increased energy usage, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and death.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State.

THIS WEEK ON THE RIVER:On July 4, the New York Times published an editorial - The Salmon's Swim for Survival - lauding two landmark court victories concerning wild salmon and healthy rivers in the Northwest. First, the newspaper celebrated Northwest Tribes winning a case requiring Washington State to fix fish barriers in order to honor the Tribes' treaty rights. Second, the editorial heralded federal Judge Michael Simon opinion throwing out the agencies’ illegal Columbia-Snake Biological Opinion (Salmon Plan) and requiring a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  Judge Simon agreed with fishing and conservation groups (joined by the Nez Perce Tribe and State of Oregon) that, among other things, the agencies did not address climate change impacts in their failed plan.  He strongly urged the agencies to consider dam removal as the most ecologically and economically sound alternative for protecting and restoring salmon in danger of extinction.

We agree that dam removal is key to providing safe access for wild salmon and steelhead in the lower Snake as water temperatures continue to rise this century.

LINKS TO 2016 HOT WATER REPORTS AND OTHER RESOURCES:

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #1 - July 6

SELECT 2016 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Steps Taken To Cool Warming Lower Snake, Reduce Thermal Blocks As Large Basin Sockeye Return Heads Upstream (Columbia Basin Bulletin, July 1, 2016)

MEDIA: Columbia Basin Salmon/Hydro Managers Gear Up For Another Hot Summer: Will Sockeye Get Slammed Again? (Columbia Basin Bulletin, June 2016)

MEDIA:Middle Fork could regain role as salmon nursery (Idaho Mountain Express, May 27, 2016)

LAW: N.W.F et al v. N.M.F.S. - U.S. District Court Opinion rejecting the federal salmon plan for Columbia and Snake river salmon and steelhead (Note: The Court's lengthy discussion of climate change begins on page 86. May 4, 2016)

MEDIA: Last year’s heat wave doomed nearly all Okanogan sockeye salmon(Seattle Times, April 13, 2016)

REPORT: Data Request Drawing Down Lower Granite Reservoir to Better Meet Water Quality Standards for Temperature(Fish Passage Center, June 2016)

SELECT 2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Preliminary 2015 Spring Juvenile Survival Estimates Through Snake/Columbia River Dams Dismal (Columbia Basin Bulletin, October 23, 2015)

MEDIA: Dead Salmon, climate change and Northwest dams(Seattle Times Guest Opinion, August 2, 2015)

MEDIA: Snowpack drought has salmon dying in overheated rivers (Seattle Times, July 25, 2015)

MEDIA: Biologists bring sockeye into Idaho on trucks to get them out of hot water(Idaho Statesman, July 2015)

REPORT: Restoring Wild Salmon: Power system costs and benefits of lower Snake River dam removal(NW Energy Coalition, August 2015)

SELECT PRE-2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

REPORT: Bright Future: How to keep the Northwest’s lights on, jobs growing, goods moving, and salmon swimming in the era of climate change(NW Energy Coalition, 2009)

FACTSHEET: Bright Future 4-page summary factsheet(2009)

REPORT: A Great Wave Rising: Solutions for Columbia and Snake River Fish in an Era of Climate Change(SOS, NW Energy Coalition, Sierra Club, 2008)

-- REPORT FOR AUGUST 16, 2016 --

INTRODUCTION: With weekly updates, The Hot Water Report 2016tracks water temperatures, salmon survival and climate related developments in the Columbia-Snake River Basin this summer.  The report is updated weekly - published here every Tuesday - from early July through September. Each week we will share the most recent temperature data from the Columbia-Snake Rivers, news stories on climate change and current conditions for rivers and fisheries, and share information on actions state and federal agencies and our communities can take to ensure safer, healthier rivers for salmon and steelhead. We will include first-person accounts from anglers, guides, scientists and citizens on the Columbia-Snake rivers this summer.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send to Sam Mace.

This is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United and Sierra Club.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS (4/1-8/15)

The graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Snake River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-8 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperatures at each of the four lower Snake River reservoirs since April 1. As one can see, earlier this season, daily mean water temperatures were frequently considerably warmer than the average daily mean temperature collected over the last 1-8 years. There has been considerably more overlap in these temperatures since approximately the middle of July.

Notably, temperatures in the Lower Snake River appear to have leveled off in recent weeks. Temperatures in the Lower Granite Dam reservoir are the lowest - hovering around 66 degrees. As you move downstream into the reservoirs of Little Goose, Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor  - temperatures gradually increase. Ice Harbor Dam's reservoir has the highest temperatures - hovering around 70 degrees.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER DAMS (4/1-8/15)

This second graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Columbia River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-20 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperature at each of the four lower Columbia River reservoirs since April 1. Like the upper graph, earlier this season, daily mean water temperatures were frequently considerably warmer than the average daily mean temperature collected over the last 1-20 years. These temperature differentials have tightened considerably since approximately the middle of July.

Notably, temperatures in the Lower Columbia River reservoirs continue to read consistently above 68 degrees F. - ranging between 69 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit since mid-July.

These two tables reflect the previous week's high water temperatures in each of the eight reservoirs created by the lower Snake and lower Columbia River dams. Between August 8 and 15, temperatures have exceeded 68 degrees Fahrenheit all 7 days in two of the four lower Snake River reservoirs. Temperatures in each of the lower Columbia River reservoirs have exceeded 68 degrees every day.

Overall in the four lower Snake River reservoirs, 68 degrees has been reached or exceeded 16 times this past week and 93 times so far this summer.

In the four lower Columbia River reservoirs, 68 degrees has been exceeded every day in all four reservoirs for a total of 28 times this past week and 143 times so far this summer.

Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68 degrees and the farther the temperatures rise above 68 degrees, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism/increased energy usage, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and/or death.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State.Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

THIS WEEK ON THE RIVER:Fishing, conservation groups file to sue the EPA over failure to address hot water impacts on endanger salmon

Groups including the Pacific Federation of Fishermens Associations, Columbia Riverkeeper, Snake Riverkeeper and Idaho Rivers United filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Water Act for failure to develop a plan to manage hot water temperatures in the Columbia-Snake Rivers affecting endangered wild salmon and steelhead.  If the agency doesn’t finalize a plan for managing lethal water temperatures and establish a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for water temperatures, groups will file suit.  

“Our members’ livelihoods depend on healthy salmon runs,” said Glen Spain, Northwest Regional Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and the Institute for Fisheries Resources.  “It’s simply unacceptable to let hot water kill otherwise-healthy adult salmon before they can spawn.“

"Agencies responsible for protecting wild salmon and our rivers have dragged their feet for years in addressing the growing threat of hot water temperatures caused by dams and climate change.  It’s time to develop real solutions to provide salmon with necessary refuge so they can thrive in the next century."

This notice was filed by the Advocates for the West. Read the legal notice, press release and Spokesman-Review story.

LINKS TO 2016 HOT WATER REPORTS AND OTHER RESOURCES:

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #1 - July 6

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #2 - July 12

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #3 - July 19

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #4 - July 26

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #5 - August 2

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #6 - August 9

SELECT 2016 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Lawsuit Aims To Lower Columbia And Snake River Temperatures For Salmon (Oregon Public Radio, August 15, 2016)

MEDIA: Hot water poses ongoing threat to Columbia River salmon, groups say(Spokesman Review, August 15, 2016)

MEDIA: Reservoir Drawdown Could Spare Fish (Lewiston Morning Tribune, July 17, 2016)

MEDIA: Steps Taken To Cool Warming Lower Snake, Reduce Thermal Blocks As Large Basin Sockeye Return Heads Upstream (Columbia Basin Bulletin, July 1, 2016)

MEDIA: Columbia Basin Salmon/Hydro Managers Gear Up For Another Hot Summer: Will Sockeye Get Slammed Again? (Columbia Basin Bulletin, June 2016)

MEDIA:Middle Fork could regain role as salmon nursery (Idaho Mountain Express, May 27, 2016)

POLICY: EPA Comments on NOAA Fisheries 2015 Adult Sockeye Salmon Passage April 2016 draft Report(May, 2016)

LAW: N.W.F et al v. N.M.F.S. - U.S. District Court Opinion rejecting the federal salmon plan for Columbia and Snake river salmon and steelhead (Note: The Court's lengthy discussion of climate change begins on page 86. May 4, 2016)

MEDIA: Last year’s heat wave doomed nearly all Okanogan sockeye salmon(Seattle Times, April 13, 2016)

REPORT: Data Request Drawing Down Lower Granite Reservoir to Better Meet Water Quality Standards for Temperature(Fish Passage Center, June 2016)

SELECT 2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Preliminary 2015 Spring Juvenile Survival Estimates Through Snake/Columbia River Dams Dismal (Columbia Basin Bulletin, October 23, 2015)

MEDIA: Dead Salmon, climate change and Northwest dams(Seattle Times Guest Opinion, August 2, 2015)

MEDIA: Snowpack drought has salmon dying in overheated rivers (Seattle Times, July 25, 2015)

MEDIA: Biologists bring sockeye into Idaho on trucks to get them out of hot water(Idaho Statesman, July 2015)

REPORT: Restoring Wild Salmon: Power system costs and benefits of lower Snake River dam removal(NW Energy Coalition, August 2015)

SELECT PRE-2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

REPORT: Bright Future: How to keep the Northwest’s lights on, jobs growing, goods moving, and salmon swimming in the era of climate change(NW Energy Coalition, 2009)

FACTSHEET: Bright Future 4-page summary factsheet(2009)

REPORT: A Great Wave Rising: Solutions for Columbia and Snake River Fish in an Era of Climate Change(SOS, NW Energy Coalition, Sierra Club, 2008

-- REPORT FOR AUGUST 2, 2016 --

INTRODUCTION: With weekly updates, The Hot Water Report 2016tracks water temperatures, salmon survival and climate related developments in the Columbia-Snake River Basin this summer.  The report is updated weekly - published here every Tuesday - from early July through September. Each week we will share the most recent temperature data from the Columbia-Snake Rivers, news stories on climate change and current conditions for rivers and fisheries, and share information on actions state and federal agencies and our communities can take to ensure safer, healthier rivers for salmon and steelhead. We will include first-person accounts from anglers, guides, scientists and citizens on the Columbia-Snake rivers this summer.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send to Sam Mace.

This is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United and Sierra Club.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS (4/1-7/24)

The graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Snake River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-8 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperatures at each of the four lower Snake River reservoirs since April 1. As one can see, this year's daily mean water temperatures are frequently considerably warmer than the average daily mean temperature collected over the last 1-8 years.

Notably, temperatures in the Lower Snake River appear to have leveled off in recent days. Temperatures in the Lower Granite Dam reservoir are the lowest - hovering around 66 degrees - while temperatures at Ice Harbor Dam reservoir temperatures are highest - hovering around 70 degrees.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER DAMS (4/1-7/24)

This second graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Columbia River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-20 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperature at each of the four lower Columbia River reservoirs since April 1. Like the upper graph, this one also reflects consistently higher water temperatures so far this year, when compared to average daily mean temperature based on data collected over the last 1-20 years.

Notably, temperatures in the Lower Columbia River continue to rise in all four reservoirs with readings ranging between 70 and 72 degrees Farhenheit.

These two tables reflect the previous week's high water temperatures in each of the eight reservoirs created by the lower Snake and lower Columbia River dams. Between July 25 and 31, temperatures have exceeded 68 degrees Fahrenheit between 2 and 7 time in three of the four lower Snake River reservoirs. Temperatures in each of the lower Columbia River reservoirs have exceeded 68 degrees every day in all four reservoirs.

Overall in the lower Snake River reservoirs, 68 degrees has been reached or exceeded 14 times this past week and 56 times so far this summer.

In the lower Columbia River reservoirs, 68 degrees has been exceeded every day in all four reservoirs for a total of 28 times this past week and 87 times so far this summer.

Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68 degrees and the farther the temperatures rise above 68 degrees, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism/increased energy usage, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and/or death.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State.Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

THIS WEEK ON THE RIVER: LESSONS FROM THE 2015 COLUMBIA-SNAKE HOT WATER SALMON KILL - From the desk of Pat Ford.August 1, 2016

In late spring and summer of 2015, an estimated 250,000 adult salmon died in the main-stem Columbia and Snake Rivers while trying to reach their home waters to spawn their next generation.  The main cause was 70 days of sustained hot water in both rivers. Water temperatures at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia, and Ice Harbor Dam on the lower Snake, hit 68 degrees F on June 24, rose quickly to 72-73 degrees for two weeks in early July, and did not fall below 68 degrees again at either dam until early September.  (68F, or 20C, is the reference temperature – an aim, not a requirement – established by NOAA Fisheries to protect Columbia-Snake salmon and steelhead from the adverse effects of hot water.)  Two other factors also contributed to the kill: a low 2014-15 snowpack that led to low 2015 runoff, and the dam-and-reservoir system whose baseline stresses to migrating salmon in both rivers exacerbated the hot water effects.

This major salmon kill has sparked wide concern among people who care about the salmon and health of the Columbia and Snake rivers.  Spring and summer temperatures in both rivers have been rising for several decades now, and Northwest climate and salmon scientists expect the trend to continue as human-caused climate change pushes global air temperatures upward.  In the wake of 2015, many Northwest people are asking with urgency, what can we do to help salmon successfully migrate climate change?  What’s in our toolbox now, and what new tools can we add? 

READ PAT'S ENTIRE ESSAY HERE.

LINKS TO 2016 HOT WATER REPORTS AND OTHER RESOURCES:

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #1 - July 6

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #2 - July 12

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #3 - July 19

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #4 - July 26

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #5 - August 2

SELECT 2016 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Reservoir Drawdown Could Spare Fish (Lewiston Morning Tribune, July 17, 2016)

MEDIA: Steps Taken To Cool Warming Lower Snake, Reduce Thermal Blocks As Large Basin Sockeye Return Heads Upstream (Columbia Basin Bulletin, July 1, 2016)

MEDIA: Columbia Basin Salmon/Hydro Managers Gear Up For Another Hot Summer: Will Sockeye Get Slammed Again? (Columbia Basin Bulletin, June 2016)

MEDIA:Middle Fork could regain role as salmon nursery (Idaho Mountain Express, May 27, 2016)

POLICY: EPA Comments on NOAA Fisheries 2015 Adult Sockeye Salmon Passage April 2016 draft Report(May, 2016)

LAW: N.W.F et al v. N.M.F.S. - U.S. District Court Opinion rejecting the federal salmon plan for Columbia and Snake river salmon and steelhead (Note: The Court's lengthy discussion of climate change begins on page 86. May 4, 2016)

MEDIA: Last year’s heat wave doomed nearly all Okanogan sockeye salmon(Seattle Times, April 13, 2016)

REPORT: Data Request Drawing Down Lower Granite Reservoir to Better Meet Water Quality Standards for Temperature(Fish Passage Center, June 2016)

SELECT 2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Preliminary 2015 Spring Juvenile Survival Estimates Through Snake/Columbia River Dams Dismal (Columbia Basin Bulletin, October 23, 2015)

MEDIA: Dead Salmon, climate change and Northwest dams(Seattle Times Guest Opinion, August 2, 2015)

MEDIA: Snowpack drought has salmon dying in overheated rivers (Seattle Times, July 25, 2015)

MEDIA: Biologists bring sockeye into Idaho on trucks to get them out of hot water(Idaho Statesman, July 2015)

REPORT: Restoring Wild Salmon: Power system costs and benefits of lower Snake River dam removal(NW Energy Coalition, August 2015)

SELECT PRE-2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

REPORT: Bright Future: How to keep the Northwest’s lights on, jobs growing, goods moving, and salmon swimming in the era of climate change(NW Energy Coalition, 2009)

FACTSHEET: Bright Future 4-page summary factsheet(2009)

REPORT: A Great Wave Rising: Solutions for Columbia and Snake River Fish in an Era of Climate Change(SOS, NW Energy Coalition, Sierra Club, 2008)

-- REPORT FOR AUGUST 9, 2016 --

INTRODUCTION: With weekly updates, The Hot Water Report 2016tracks water temperatures, salmon survival and climate related developments in the Columbia-Snake River Basin this summer.  The report is updated weekly - published here every Tuesday - from early July through September. Each week we will share the most recent temperature data from the Columbia-Snake Rivers, news stories on climate change and current conditions for rivers and fisheries, and share information on actions state and federal agencies and our communities can take to ensure safer, healthier rivers for salmon and steelhead. We will include first-person accounts from anglers, guides, scientists and citizens on the Columbia-Snake rivers this summer.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send to Sam Mace.

This is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United and Sierra Club.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS (4/1-8/7)

The graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Snake River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-8 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperatures at each of the four lower Snake River reservoirs since April 1. As one can see, earlier this season, daily mean water temperatures were frequently considerably warmer than the average daily mean temperature collected over the last 1-8 years. There has been considerably more overlap in these temperatures since approximately the middle of July.

Notably, temperatures in the Lower Snake River appear to have leveled off in recent days. Temperatures in the Lower Granite Dam reservoir are the lowest - hovering around 66 degrees - while temperatures at Ice Harbor Dam reservoir temperatures are highest - hovering around 70 degrees.

 SPRING-SUMMER 2016 WATER TEMPERATURES AT LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER DAMS (4/1-8/7)

This second graph above reflects water temperatures recorded in the lower Columbia River reservoirs. The blue-toned lines reflect the average daily mean temperatures in each of the four reservoirs collected in the last 1-20 years, beginning on April 1. The red-toned lines reflect the 2016 daily mean temperature at each of the four lower Columbia River reservoirs since April 1. Like the upper graph, earlier this season, daily mean water temperatures were frequently considerably warmer than the average daily mean temperature collected over the last 1-8 years. These temperature differentials have tightened considerably since approximately the middle of July.

Notably, temperatures in the Lower Columbia River continue to stay high in all four reservoirs with readings up above 68 degrees F. - ranging between 69 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit

These two tables reflect the previous week's high water temperatures in each of the eight reservoirs created by the lower Snake and lower Columbia River dams. Between August 1 and 7, temperatures have exceeded 68 degrees Fahrenheit all 7 days in three of the four lower Snake River reservoirs. Temperatures in each of the lower Columbia River reservoirs have exceeded 68 degrees every day in all four reservoirs.

Overall in the lower Snake River reservoirs, 68 degrees has been reached or exceeded 21 times this past week and 77 times so far this summer.

In the lower Columbia River reservoirs, 68 degrees has been exceeded every day in all four reservoirs for a total of 28 times this past week and 115 times so far this summer.

Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68 degrees and the farther the temperatures rise above 68 degrees, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism/increased energy usage, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and/or death.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State.Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

THIS WEEK ON THE RIVER: WILD SALMON AND CLIMATE CHANGE - THE LAW

From the Desk of Pat Ford - August 8, 2016

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon’s May 2016 verdict in the long-running Columbia-Snake salmon and dams case sets clear legal sideboards for helping salmon migrate climatic changes.  (You can read the court’s verdict here.)  The salmon and climate change section is pages 86-102.)    

First, it makes plain what the law requires, and thus sets basic standards for any strategy and recommendations on the subject.  The standards will apply to the government’s sixth attempt in 18 years to craft a lawful plan to restore Columbia-Snake wild salmon and steelhead.

Second, it crisply summarizes the basics of climate-salmon science as we know them today.  Scientists at NOAA, the Universities of Washington and Oregon, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and others have published much research on salmon and climate change in the past 15 years.  The court finds that “the best available information indicates that climate change will have a significant negative effect” on endangered or threatened salmon and steelhead species in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.  The court finds that NOAA paid illegally scant attention to this information, much of it developed by NOAA’s own scientists, in its 2014 plan to restore Columbia-Snake salmon.

Third, the court established a public process in which that science must be assessed, and in which Northwest people’s views on salmon and climate change must be heard. 

READ PAT'S ENTIRE ESSAY HERE.

LINKS TO 2016 HOT WATER REPORTS AND OTHER RESOURCES:

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #1 - July 6

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #2 - July 12

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #3 - July 19

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #4 - July 26

HOT WATER REPORT 2016: #5 - August 2

SELECT 2016 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Reservoir Drawdown Could Spare Fish (Lewiston Morning Tribune, July 17, 2016)

MEDIA: Steps Taken To Cool Warming Lower Snake, Reduce Thermal Blocks As Large Basin Sockeye Return Heads Upstream (Columbia Basin Bulletin, July 1, 2016)

MEDIA: Columbia Basin Salmon/Hydro Managers Gear Up For Another Hot Summer: Will Sockeye Get Slammed Again? (Columbia Basin Bulletin, June 2016)

MEDIA:Middle Fork could regain role as salmon nursery (Idaho Mountain Express, May 27, 2016)

POLICY: EPA Comments on NOAA Fisheries 2015 Adult Sockeye Salmon Passage April 2016 draft Report(May, 2016)

LAW: N.W.F et al v. N.M.F.S. - U.S. District Court Opinion rejecting the federal salmon plan for Columbia and Snake river salmon and steelhead (Note: The Court's lengthy discussion of climate change begins on page 86. May 4, 2016)

MEDIA: Last year’s heat wave doomed nearly all Okanogan sockeye salmon(Seattle Times, April 13, 2016)

REPORT: Data Request Drawing Down Lower Granite Reservoir to Better Meet Water Quality Standards for Temperature(Fish Passage Center, June 2016)

SELECT 2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

MEDIA: Preliminary 2015 Spring Juvenile Survival Estimates Through Snake/Columbia River Dams Dismal (Columbia Basin Bulletin, October 23, 2015)

MEDIA: Dead Salmon, climate change and Northwest dams(Seattle Times Guest Opinion, August 2, 2015)

MEDIA: Snowpack drought has salmon dying in overheated rivers (Seattle Times, July 25, 2015)

MEDIA: Biologists bring sockeye into Idaho on trucks to get them out of hot water(Idaho Statesman, July 2015)

REPORT: Restoring Wild Salmon: Power system costs and benefits of lower Snake River dam removal(NW Energy Coalition, August 2015)

SELECT PRE-2015 MEDIA COVERAGE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

REPORT: Bright Future: How to keep the Northwest’s lights on, jobs growing, goods moving, and salmon swimming in the era of climate change(NW Energy Coalition, 2009)

FACTSHEET: Bright Future 4-page summary factsheet(2009)

REPORT: A Great Wave Rising: Solutions for Columbia and Snake River Fish in an Era of Climate Change(SOS, NW Energy Coalition, Sierra Club, 2008)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Lower Snake and Columbia River Hot Water Report, week three. This weekly report will present the conditions on the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers via graphs, analyses, and stories. We’ll track the rivers as they become too hot for migrating salmon, as well as the return of each individual salmon species.

In 2015, extreme water temperatures killed upwards of 300,000 salmon in the Columbia Basin. Extinction is looming for wild Snake River salmon and steelhead, with myriad threats facing these dwindling stocks. As each salmonid species journeys through the Columbia and Snake, we will highlight its unique attributes and discuss how different species respond to increasing river temperatures. We’ll also hear first-hand from scientists, tribal fishers, guides, and citizens on the Columbia and Snake rivers throughout the summer.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send them to Jacob Schmidt

If, in the course of your river trips this summer, you come across a dead sturgeon, remember to contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Hot Water Report is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Idaho Conservation League, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United, Friends of the Clearwater, and Washington Sierra Club.

Check out reports from previous weeks Week 1, Week 2

READING THE DATA

The daily mean temperature at the forebay (upstream reservoir) of each dam is represented in the solid lines, while the 10 year average (2008-2017) for each reservoir is represented by the dashed line of the same color. The dotted line across the top of the graph represents the 68° survival threshold for juvenile salmon. The longer temperatures remain above 68° and the farther the temperatures rise above 68°, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity (reproductive potential), and/or death.

If you are unfamiliar with the location of the Lower Snake and Lower Columbia dams, you can find them on this map.

Temperatures across the basin continued to rise steeply this week with both Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams registering high temperatures above the 68° threshold. With highs in the mid 90s for days on end in our region’s cities, the heat is starting to get tiresome, but in the Columbia and Snake Rivers the heat is proving lethal. Sockeye migration is running right up against the high temperatures at Ice Harbor which we will discuss at length later. The one positive development is the below average heat at Lower Granite Dam, which may provide a restful boost on the last leg of the salmon’s journey to spawn. This drop in temperature results from a July 9 infusion of cold water from Dworshak Reservoir. It is clear from the graph above that this cold water boost does not persist downstream of Lower Granite Dam.

Temperatures on the Lower Columbia continue to rise as well, with all reservoirs registering a daily mean temperature less than one degree below the threshold. While temperatures this year are still slightly above average, the 10 year mean lines on the graph are starting to catch up with the current daily data.

John Day has taken the place of Bonneville as the hottest reservoir in the system this week. The slackwater at Lake Umatilla--the reservoir formed by John Day Dam--is the longest reservoir on the Lower Columbia at 110 miles. Salmon migrating through the lower Columbia are facing the highest temperatures of their journey during the longest stretch of that journey.

WEEKLY HIGH TEMPERATURES

Ice Harbor Dam near the confluence of the Columbia and Snake in Pasco, WA is the first on the Columbia-Snake to register a temperature above the survival threshold of 68° on 10 July. Temperatures remained above the threshold for the rest of the week following with the highest instantaneous temperature on the Snake River at 68.4° this week. The next dam upstream of Ice Harbor was close behind by less than half a degree with two days over the threshold. John Day Dam, which forms the longest reservoir on the Lower Columbia registered the highest temperature of the Columbia dams at 68.4°.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State and the Fish Passage Center. Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff on 13 July 2018 with the latest data.

2018 Columbia-Snake Basin Adult Salmon Returns – year-to-date

Sockeye Salmon

The red and green color and hook like jaw of a spawning stage male sockeye is the image conjured by most of us when we hear the word “salmon.” These beautiful endangered fish will be our focus this week as the majority of the Snake River sockeye run has made it past the confluence and is now traversing the Lower Snake.

The name sockeye literally means “red fish” in Salish, a name which in English belongs to the highest elevation spawning ground of any anadromous fish in the world, Redfish Lake, Idaho. Sockeye were the first Snake River salmon stock to be listed as endangered in 1991, prompting the formation of the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, whose staff composed the report you are now reading.  Sockeye are the third most common of the Pacific salmon species due primarily to the Alaskan populations whose habitat is largely unobstructed. In 1880, it is believed that 150,000 sockeye salmon returned to the Snake River basin, spawning in natural lakes in the Wallowa Basin and central Idaho. More than 35,000 sockeye would return to the Redfish Lake under the Sawtooth Mountains every year, which is now the primary target location for recovery. Sockeye have disappeared entirely from other lakes.  Snake River sockeye populations declined so much from the impacts of dam building and overfishing that by 1992 only one--dubbed “Lonesome Larry”--completed the journey to Redfish Lake.

The improbable journey of Lonesome Larry drew renewed attention to the plight of all Snake River salmon and inspired action from state agencies and conservation groups alike. Idaho Fish and Game responded by establishing a sockeye rescue program, based on captive broodstock headquartered at Eagle, Idaho hatchery. . In recent years the sockeye return to redfish lake has given some cause for hope, but in 2017 only 11 natural sockeye survived the 900 mile, 6,500 vertical foot swim to Redfish Lake. With a stated recovery goal of 2,500 natural origin fish returning to Redfish, hope for the future of wild Snake River sockeye is illusive.   The captive brood program has avoided extinction, but has not made significant progress toward recovery.

Sockeye are especially susceptible to hot water mortality, as this salmon species does not rest during the whole of their migration, choosing instead to endure what water conditions may come. In a drought year like 2015, this is a recipe for disaster. During the summer of 2015 so many sockeye died in the Columbia-Snake reservoirs that their bodies lined the river bottom. Bottom dwelling fish such as the endangered white sturgeon consumed the dying sockeye and started to suffer themselves as the heat had left these sockeye more vulnerable to infections which were then passed to their predators.  The hot water that killed sockeye by the thousands in 2015 set off a chain reaction that led to upwards of 80 sturgeon deaths.

*of those counted, 10% are believed to be wild in origin

*Recovery goal: 2,500 - Historic return: 35,000

While the sockeye returns this year showed a major improvement from 2017 at Bonneville on the Lower Columbia, the long, hot swim up to the Snake River basin appears to be taking its toll. Sockeye returning to the mouth of the Columbia showed up early this year and in far greater numbers than initially predicted, more than doubling 2017 returns and prompting an early opening of the fishing season. Idaho Fish and Game estimates based on past years, that by July 9, 80-100% of the sockeye run will have passed Bonneville Dam, so the numbers on the first graph can be viewed as representative of the total run.

Looking to the second graph, we see how many of those 185,191 sockeye that have passed Bonneville Dam are heading to the Snake River. Sockeye originating from the Snake River basin account for a tiny portion of the overall Columbia River population, despite the Snake basin representing over a third of their available habitat. As the second graph displays, only 509 of those sockeye have entered the Snake River at Ice Harbor Dam. This is up from the critically small 2017 run, but still a long way from recovery goal of 2,500 and a far sight from the historic runs of over 35,000. Looking now to the number of sockeye reaching Lower Granite Dam--the last dam they will traverse--the 2018 count falls below the 2017 count for the same day. It is important to note that the current count at Lower Granite represents only 25-35% of the total for the year, and that those at the head of the pack now will not reach Redfish Lake until the end of July, but the disparity between Ice Harbor and Lower Granite counts is still cause for concern.

First sockeye returns to Redfish Lake Creek in past years:

2016 - July 19

2017 - July 27

New Links

CBB: With Temps Rising, Corps Cools Snake River With Dworshak Water To Aid Endangered Snake River Sockeye

Idaho Fish and Game: Sockeye

Lonesome Larry

Times of London: Scottish Heatwave is Disastrous for Salmon Industry

WSU: Demand factored into Columbia River Basin’s future

Past links

Columbia Basin Bulletin: With Run Downgrade, Summer Chinook Fishing Below Bonneville Dam Ends Early; Sockeye Above Forecast 

Columbia Basin Bulletin: Corps Second Spill Report to Court Details Impacts of High Flows

Hatch Magazine: Trout and Water Temperature: How Hot is Too Hot?

Alan Lierres Fish Hunting Report, July 4

Oregon Live: Columbia River spring chinook salmon run prediction downgraded

Spokesman Review: Spring Chinook Numbers on the Rise

Oregon Live: Spring chinook fishing to reopen on Columbia River

Seattle Times: Washington warmed slowest of all states over past 30 years — but what does it mean for climate change?

Past reports are archived here: 2016 Hot Water Report

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Lower Snake and Columbia River Hot Water Report, week four. This weekly report presents the conditions on the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers via graphs, analyses, and stories. We’ll track the rivers as they become too hot for migrating salmon, as well as the return of each individual salmon species.

In 2015, extreme water temperatures killed upwards of 300,000 salmon in the Columbia Basin. Extinction is looming for wild Snake River salmon and steelhead, with myriad threats facing these dwindling stocks. As each salmonid species journeys through the Columbia and Snake, we will highlight its unique attributes and discuss how different species respond to increasing river temperatures. We’ll also hear first-hand from scientists, tribal fishers, guides, and citizens on the Columbia and Snake rivers throughout the summer.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share? Please send them to Jacob Schmidt

If, in the course of your river trips this summer, you come across a dead sturgeon, remember to contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Hot Water Report is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Idaho Conservation League, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United, Friends of the Clearwater, and Washington Sierra Club.

Check out past Hot Water Reports

READING THE DATA

The daily mean temperature at the forebay (upstream reservoir) of each dam is represented in the solid lines, while the 10 year average (2008-2017) for each reservoir is represented by the dashed line of the same color. The dotted line across the top of the graph represents the 68° survival threshold for juvenile salmon. The longer temperatures remain above 68° and the farther the temperatures rise above 68°, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity (reproductive potential), and/or death.

If you are unfamiliar with the location of the Lower Snake and Lower Columbia dams, you can find a map here.

The temperature at Ice Harbor dam has skyrocketed this week, so much so that I have had to adjust the upper limit of the graph from here on out. This marks the first time on the lower Snake this year that the daily average temperature has remained above the survival threshold for multiple days in a row.

You may remember from last week that cold water from Dworshak Reservoir was being spilled in order to aid sockeye migration. The ability to add cold water to the Clearwater River just above its confluence with the Snake is sometimes cited as a key feature of Dworshak--a dam which cut off fish passage from the extensive North Fork Clearwater Basin--however, the benefit of added cold water do not last long in the heat of the summer and do not spread downstream. While the red line representing Lower Granite Dam has remained the lowest of the four, the July 9 spill has made no measurable difference at the other three downstream dams.

On the Lower Columbia, all four dams are now registering not only daily high temperatures above the survival threshold, but daily average temperatures as well. From Beacon Rock to Pasco, every mile of the Columbia river is too hot for migrating salmon. If previous years are any indication, we will not see temperatures drop back below 68° for the next month. In the past, the current temperature has started to blend with the 10 year average at this point in the year, however in 2018 we are seeing current temperatures remain a few degrees above the 10 year average.

WEEKLY HIGH TEMPERATURES

Ice Harbor Dam near the confluence of the Columbia and Snake in Pasco, WA reached temperatures above the survival threshold of 68° every day this week, peaking on 19 July at 70.2°. Lower Monumental and Little Goose, the next dams upstream of Ice Harbor have closed in on that temperature record, staying above the threshold for as many days this week as Ice Harbor. John Day Dam, which forms the longest reservoir on the Lower Columbia registered the highest temperature of the Columbia dams once again at 70.2°. Temperatures at Bonneville Dam matched those at John Day a day later.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State and the Fish Passage Center. Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff on 13 July 2018 with the latest data.

2018 Columbia-Snake Basin Adult Salmon Returns – year-to-date

Sockeye Salmon Continued

A week has past since we first looked at sockeye salmon returning to the Snake River Basin, but the run has hardly improved. At the time of the fish counts shown in the graph above, scientists estimate that 90-100% of sockeye returning this year have passed Ice Harbor and that 65-85% have passed Lower Granite. Looking to the red bars on the graph above, note that 53% of the run is lost between Ice Harbor and Lower Monumental Dam, a distance of 32 miles. While some of the difference is attributable to timing, i.e. a portion of those fish counted at Ice Harbor had simply not reached Lower Monumental yet, evidence suggests that the majority of these fish have died in the hot slow water of the reservoir.

Unlike steelhead, and chinook which find colder water to wait in and recuperate, upstream migrating sockeye do not rest. They just keep going. This behavior, coupled with their presence in the hot, dammed sections of the rivers at the hottest time of the year--June and July--makes them uniquely vulnerable to fatigue over the course of 320 miles of hot slackwater.

Only a slim portion of the 167 sockeye that have reached Lower Granite are wild or naturally spawning fish. Most of the already small number of sockeye that will reach Redfish Lake will be hatchery fish, which while important for providing genetic material to the hatchery program, do not count toward endangered species recovery. Last year, 228 total sockeye crossed Lower Granite Dam. Of these, 162 survived to the Sawtooth Valley. Only 11 of these were wild or natural spawners. When that proportion is applied to this year’s Lower Granite return so far, we are left with a single digit wild return to Redfish Lake.

How then is it possible to recover the 2,500 wild origin sockeye needed to meet the recovery goal set forth by the Endangered Species Act? This question may not have an answer with the current state of habitat for Snake River sockeye. What sockeye are experiencing in the river right now with temperatures exceeding 70° is not unusual, it has become routine. The status quo of Columbia/Snake dams, and hot water due to both the reservoir condition and climate change, is a death trap for this species.

New Links

Columbia Basin Bulletin: Climate Forecast Favors Onset Of El Nino, Could Mean Warmer Winter In Northwest

Drought Conditions Hitting Oregon, Washington; Most Streamflows In Basin Remain Healthy

Past Links

CBB: With Temps Rising, Corps Cools Snake River With Dworshak Water To Aid Endangered Snake River Sockeye

Idaho Fish and Game: Sockeye

Lonesome Larry

Times of London: Scottish Heatwave is Disastrous for Salmon Industry

WSU: Demand factored into Columbia River Basin’s future

Columbia Basin Bulletin: With Run Downgrade, Summer Chinook Fishing Below Bonneville Dam Ends Early; Sockeye Above Forecast 

Columbia Basin Bulletin: Corps Second Spill Report to Court Details Impacts of High Flows

Hatch Magazine: Trout and Water Temperature: How Hot is Too Hot?

Alan Lierres Fish Hunting Report, July 4

Oregon Live: Columbia River spring chinook salmon run prediction downgraded

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Lower Snake and Columbia River Hot Water Report, week two. This weekly report presents the conditions on the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers via graphs, analyses, and stories. We’ll track the rivers as they become too hot for migrating salmon, as well as the return of each individual salmon species.

In 2015, extreme water temperatures killed upwards of 300,000 salmon in the Columbia Basin. Extinction is looming for wild Snake River salmon and steelhead, with myriad threats facing these dwindling stocks. As each salmonid species journeys through the Columbia and Snake, we will highlight its unique attributes and discuss how different species respond to increasing river temperatures. We’ll also hear first-hand from scientists, tribal fishers, guides, and citizens on the Columbia and Snake rivers throughout the summer.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share? Please send them to Jacob Schmidt

If, in the course of your river trips this summer, you come across a dead sturgeon, remember to contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Hot Water Report is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Idaho Conservation League, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Rivers United, Friends of the Clearwater,and Washington Sierra Club.

READING THE DATA

The daily mean temperature at the forebay (upstream reservoir) of each dam is represented in the solid lines, while the 10 year average (2008-2017) for each reservoir is represented by the dashed line of the same color. The dotted line across the top of the graph represents the 68° survival threshold for juvenile salmon. The longer temperatures remain above 68° and the farther the temperatures rise above 68°, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity (reproductive potential), and/or death

If you are unfamiliar with the location of the Lower Snake and Lower Columbia dams, you can find them on this map.

Note that all of the lines on the graph are starting to converge. Over the past week, temperatures have evened out across the Lower Snake River. This happens every year around this time once the deep snowpack of central Idaho has melted away. With fewer infusions of cold snowmelt from the upper basin, Lower Granite Reservoir starts to resemble each of the downstream lakes in temperature. However, this year the transition from spring to summer flows has coincided with above average air temperatures, heating up the river far above the 10 year average. The 68° threshold is fast approaching, especially at Ice Harbor.

Temperatures on the Lower Columbia River continue to climb with each of the three lowest dams registering a 66.2° for multiple days. McNary Dam is the only outlier, having dipped slightly for a few days. Perhaps the most interesting development of the past week, however is the gap between the temperatures of the past week and those of the past ten years. As mentioned above, Washington state has been experiencing above average air temperatures and below average precipitation. For an in depth look at river flows and water quality, read the Army Corps of Engineers’ recently released report on increased spring spill at Columbia and Snake River dams described in detail here.

WEEKLY HIGH TEMPERATURES

Ice Harbor Dam near the confluence of the Columbia and Snake in Pasco, WA registered the highest instantaneous temperature on the Snake River this week at 65.6°. Each of the other three dams upstream of Ice Harbor are close behind by less than half a degree. Bonneville Dam, the furthest downstream in the system, traded places with McNary Dam, the first downstream of the confluence, this week registering the high for the Columbia at an ominous 66.6°.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State and the Fish Passage Center. Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

2018 COLUMBIA-SNAKE BASIN ADULT SALMON RETURNS – YEAR-TO-DATE

This week we are taking a look at the spring chinook jack returns. This statistic is a little more difficult to grasp and interpret than the full spring chinook return that was featured last week, but it is worth examining here. Male chinook salmon that return to fresh water streams to spawn a year or two earlier than their counterparts are known as “jacks”. These younger, smaller chinook salmon are seen as an early indicator of returns in years to come, although the reliability of jack counts in predicting adult returns in future years is not universally agreed upon.

Looking to the chart above, the number of Jacks that returned this Spring is concerning to put it lightly. The number of jacks that made it back to Idaho by June 1 of this year represents a 64% decline from 2017 and a 75% decline from the 10 year average. A clear culprit in the case of this historically low jack count is the river and ocean conditions of 2015-2016. The jacks returning to spawn this year are those that were born during the drought of 2015, a year which saw unprecedented river temperatures in the Columbia-Snake basin. Those that survived the trip to the ocean that year then lived through the ocean “blob” in the north Pacific, a large mass of nutrient deprived hot water that first appeared in 2013 and expanded until dissipating in 2016. The latent effects of these water conditions will continue to be felt in the rivers over the next several years.

In the coming weeks we will be leaving the chinook behind to look at sockeye salmon, steelhead trout, sturgeon, lamprey, and more, but before doing so, let’s check in on the combined spring/summer chinook count so far. In the last report, we presented wild returns based on the estimate that wild fish make up 20% of the complete run (shown in the graph above), but that estimate slightly overpredicts the number of wild chinook returning to spawn this year. On June 29, Idaho Department of Fish and Game downgraded their forecast for wild spring/summer chinook to 7,000 at Lower Granite dam, down from an earlier forecast of 12,655. The run this year will at best be similar to last year's run or just slightly better, placing it among the worst in decades. Downgrading the forecast has led to the early closure of summer chinook fishing below Bonneville with other upstream fisheries, including the Little Salmon River in Idaho, closing early as well. In addition to the impact that low chinook returns have on recreational and commercial fishing economies in rural communities, the lack of chinook from the Columbia Basin is one cause of the decline of critically endangered Southern Resident Orca population that depend upon chinook for at least 80% of their diet. On the bright side, sockeye fishing season has opened with better than expected early returns, which we will look at in more detail next week.

LINKS

Columbia Basin Bulletin: With Run Downgrade, Summer Chinook Fishing Below Bonneville Dam Ends Early; Sockeye Above Forecast 

Columbia Basin Bulletin: Corps Second Spill Report to Court Details Impacts of High Flows

Hatch Magazine: Trout and Water Temperature: How Hot is Too Hot?

Alan Lierres FIsh Hunting Report, July 4

Oregon Live: Columbia River spring chinook salmon run prediction downgraded

Past reports are archived here: 2016 Hot Water Report

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Lower Snake and Columbia River Hot Water Report. This weekly report will present the conditions on the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers via graphs, analysis, and stories. We’ll track the rivers as they become too hot for migrating salmon and the impacts of climate change, as well as the return of each individual salmon species.

In 2015, extreme water temperatures killed upwards of 300,000 salmon in the Columbia Basin. Extinction is looming for wild Snake River salmon and steelhead, with myriad threats facing these dwindling stocks. As each salmonid species journeys through the Columbia and Snake, we will highlight its unique attributes and discuss how different species respond to increasing river temperatures. We’ll also hear first-hand from scientists, tribal fishers, guides, and citizens on the Columbia and Snake rivers throughout the summer.

Will you be on the river this summer? Do you have a story or photo you would like to share?  Please send them to Jacob Schmidt

The Hot Water Report is a joint project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, Idaho Conservation League, Columbia Riverkeeper, Friends of the Clearwater, and Washington Sierra Club.

READING THE DATA

The daily mean temperature at the forebay (upstream reservoir) of each dam is represented in the solid lines, while the 10 year average (2008-2017) for each reservoir is represented by the dashed line of the same color. For this initial report, 10 year historic data was only available for 4 of the 8 dams we will be monitoring. Finally, the dotted line across the top of the graph represents the 68° survival threshold for juvenile salmon. Salmon and steelhead begin to suffer harmful effects when water temperatures exceed 68° Fahrenheit. The longer temperatures remain above 68° and the farther the temperatures rise above 68°, the more severe the effects, including: increased metabolism, increased susceptibility to disease, reduced fecundity or reproductive potential, and/or death.

Note that aside from a dip in early April, this year water temperatures have hovered above the average for the past 10 year. While this past spring has not been as hot as a record year like 2015, temperatures are clearly on the rise, even with relatively high spring flows in the upper portion of the Snake River Basin. Above average spring temperatures have become the norm on the lower Snake River, as the reservoirs created for shipping traffic slow the river to a crawl . A free flowing river is varied and dynamic with pockets of warm and cold water that fish navigate between as they rest, hunt, or travel. A reservoir, however spreads water temperatures uniformly across the whole of its length, eliminating those cold water refuges that make up a healthy salmon habitat. Along the whole 320 miles of slackwater from Bonneville Dam to Heller Bar on the Snake River, where the river flows free once again, there are precious few pockets of cold water. As global climate change continues to push regional temperatures higher and reduce snowpack below the 44th parallel, we can expect this migration route for salmon to go from perilous to impossible.

The lower Columbia shows considerably less fluctuation as it has a higher volume, lower grade, and a more temperate climate than the lower Snake. Taking a look at climate data, studies show that over the past 30 years the Inland Northwest has experienced as much as 3 times the warming that the Pacific coast has (see ST article in links below). While a large swath of the Snake River basin received less snow than average, the upper Columbia basin had enough snow to cause extreme and prolonged flooding along the Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Clark Fork Rivers. Yet despite the good snow conditions, temperatures still remained above the ten year average for much of the spring. As we officially enter the summer season, the mainstem Columbia river is already only 2° below the survival threshold for juvenile salmon.

WEEKLY HIGH TEMPERATURES

Ice Harbor Dam registered the highest instantaneous temperature on the Snake River this week at 64° with McNary Dam just downstream registering the high for the Columbia at 66.2°.

Temperature data included in these reports come from the USGS Current Conditions for Washington State. Graphs and tables were assembled by SOS Staff.

2018 Columbia-Snake Basin Adult Salmon Returns – year-to-date

ESA recovery goal is 80,000 wild origin spring/summer chinook to Lower Granite Dam for 6 consecutive years.

*Wild salmon numbers based on initial estimate

We are in the midst of the transition between what gets counted as a “Spring Chinook” and what gets counted as a “Summer Chinook.” While these two varieties of Chinook salmon are grouped together under the Endangered Species Act, they are counted separately and so we will be looking at them separately in these reports. It is crucial that in looking at the data we recognize that wild salmon make up a smaller portion of the total return every year, with hatchery origin fish constituting over 80% of the run in some years.

Chinook, or King salmon, are the largest of the salmonid species and are thus prized by both commercial and sport fishers in addition to being the primary food species of the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. Chinook spend between one and seven years in the ocean and are caught as far away as the waters of northern Japan before returning to freshwater to spawn. Being larger than other salmon, Chinook spawn in larger rivers, as opposed to other species that seek small tributaries and lakes, meaning that their offspring must survive in the hot temperatures documented above. As the first major salmon run of the year, Spring Chinook hold special significance to northwest tribes for their First Salmon Ceremony as well as for fisheries scientists who see them as an indicator of the effects of river and ocean conditions for other species later on.

Looking now to the graph, note a slight increase in adult spring returns this year over 2017. However, within the context of the past ten years, this is little cause for optimism. Runs remain well below average and even below what was forecasted for 2018, forcing sporadic fishing closures along the Columbia throughout the spring (see links below). High water levels across the basin may be responsible for a delayed Chinook run, meaning that the summer count could make up for some of these low spring returns, but even the highest estimates are well below the 2008-2017 average.

Links

Oregon Live: Columbia River spring chinook salmon run prediction downgraded

Spokesman Review: Spring Chinook Numbers on the Rise

Oregon Live: Spring chinook fishing to reopen on Columbia River

Seattle Times: Washington warmed slowest of all states over past 30 years — but what does it mean for climate change?

Past reports are archived here: 2016 Hot Water Report

On August 1, Congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA) introduced HR 6247, full of dangerous provisions with national implications. If passed into law, this heavy-handed legislation would harm already-endangered salmon and steelhead, stifle job creation, restrict innovation and opportunity in the clean energy sector, and severely constrain the ability of federal agencies and private entities to engage in collaborative solutions to natural resource challenges. The bill was discussed yesterday at a Congressional field hearing in Pasco, WA.

Rebecca Miles, Executive Director of the Nez Perce Tribe, testified at the hearing, and stated her displeasure with HR 6247: “Simply put, H.R. 6247 runs directly counter to the hallmarks of good governance and salmon science.  This bill would do great harm to our salmon and the waters they travel and thus to Nez Perce culture and our economic viability.  It would stifle collaboration and squelch public-private partnerships, and put thousands of jobs in jeopardy. The sponsors of this legislation seem to be opposed to cost-effective, job-creating, salmon-producing, efforts to restore rivers and revitalize communities, which is just baffling.”

Agreed Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association, who also testified, “HR 6247 would destroy fishing and other jobs and weaken our economy. It even jeopardizes spill, which is the single most important measure in place right now to restore salmon and protect the salmon economy in the Columbia Basin. ”

Added Sara Patton of the NW Energy Coalition, “Here in the 21st century, we need to find shared solutions for salmon and energy since both are intrinsic to our rivers’ health. Instead, Congressman Hastings’ bill offers 19th-century policy. It has no silver lining -- HR 6247 is just plain bad for the Northwest’s clean energy economy.”

HR 6247 would if passed into law: 

•  Jeopardize “spill” at the Columbia and Snake River dams – a salmon protection measure that significantly increases salmon survival and has created family-wage jobs in the region.


•  Prohibit federal agencies from restoring rivers by removing, or even studying the removal of any dam (public or private) in the United States -  whether it currently generates energy or not - without explicit approval from Congress.


•  Prevent any federal agency work on active dam removal mitigation or restoration measures - without explicit approval from Congress.


•  Weaken the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): the bedrock law that guarantees citizens the opportunity to participate in decisions affecting public health and safety and natural resources such as clean water. 


• Stop or delay any federal funding for certain energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives proposed by the Department of Energy, a move that would turn back the clock on the Northwest’s clean energy economy and jobs.

Full text of the bill can be found at: http://naturalresources.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hr6247-112.pdf

CONTACT: 
Sam Mace, Inland Northwest Project Director, Save Our wild Salmon, 509-863-5696 
Ernie Niemi, independent economist, Natural Resource Economics, 541-937-3644

Official comments submitted to the United States Army Corps of Engineers District Office in Walla Walla today demonstrate that maintenance and operations costs for the lower Snake River transportation corridor greatly exceed its economic benefits. With a growing project backlog and deepening federal deficits, these new analyses raise serious questions about the lower Snake waterway’s economic viability, and its burden to local communities and American taxpayers.

Last December, the Army Corps released a 1,500-page Draft Environmental Impact Statement proposing to dredge hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sediment in Lower Granite reservoir on the Snake River along the Idaho/Washington border. The plan quickly came under fire from local citizens who question the waterway’s underlying economics. The Corps’ $16 million document proposes to spend $39 million or more over the next 10 years.

“Waterway transportation on the lower Snake cannot be justified today”, said Sam Mace, Inland Northwest Project Director of Save Our wild Salmon. “Costs are rising, use is dropping, and taxpayers won’t continue to foot this bill. Businesses need a reliable, affordable transportation system, and we need to focus our limited resources on fiscally responsible transportation options that meet community needs and better protect endangered salmon.”

In an independent evaluation of the plan, Natural Resource Economics found that the Army Corps completely failed to substantiate its proposed expenditures and actions, or to provide a cost-benefit analysis. Rather, the available information shows that the plan “would have a negative net effect on national economic development, i.e., its costs would exceed its benefits.”

Save Our wild Salmon supports a reliable, affordable transportation network for farmers and other businesses in eastern Washington and northern Idaho based on rails and roads. “We’ll keep working with farmers and others in eastern Washington to find shared solutions that strengthen our economy, meet the needs of communities and restore endangered salmon and steelhead,” said Mace. “By hiding the economic and fiscal facts, the Army Corps is doing a disservice to the people and the economy of Lewiston/Clarkston and eastern Washington.”

Download this press release as a PDF.

Download full Coalition comments submitted to the Army Corps with economic analyses.

Download SOS supplement comments to the Army Corps.

###

Friday evening, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9 2017

Chief Timothy State Park, Clarkston, WA

Last year more than 400 people from throughout the Pacific Northwest came together on water in support of the return of a free-flowing lower Snake River.  This year, river, salmon and orca advocates, tribal members, anglers, and others will gather again on the river to Free the Snake.

Here’s a chance to experience the lower Snake River for yourself and learn more about why removing four dams is so critical to restoring salmon, orcas, lamprey; and why it is necessary to honor treaties with Native American tribes.  These four dams impede salmon from reaching the largest piece of intact salmon habitat left in the lower 48, thousands of miles of pristine river habitat across millions of acres in Idaho, northeast Oregon and southeast Washington. Meanwhile, the benefits these dams have declined dramatically while their costs to both salmon and taxpayers have grown.  

The need for dam removal grows more urgent every day.  The Columbia-Snake basin has suffered huge salmon losses due to dam impacts.  This year, we are witnessing the lowest return of wild Snake River steelhead seen in decades.  It’s time to stand up for our rivers and salmon and bring back the abundant runs our rivers can support if given half a chance.
 
This year’s route begins at Chief Timothy State Park Saturday morning near Clarkston and heads downriver for 3 miles and then back to the park.  Speakers, music and camping Friday and Saturday nights.  Friday will feature tribal speakers followed by Spokane’s Folkinception.  Saturday’s after-celebration will include music featuring Smackout Pack and Atlas Hugged.

​Join us September 8 and 9, 2017 when we'll say with one clear voice: it's time to remove four outdated, low-value, deadbeat dams on the lower Snake River. It's time to free the Snake!

To register and to get all the details, scroll down this page and visit: www.freethesnake.com

Questions: Contact Sam Mace at sam@wildsalmon.org, 509-863-5696

Note: new launch site and destination for 2017!

CAMPSITES: We have reserved more than 60 campsites at Chief Timothy Park for the evening of Friday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9. All tent sites and RV sites are first-come, first-served. You do not need to make a reservation with the park. Flotilla volunteers will collect $10 per tent and $20 per RV (per night) at the park entrance to help cover the cost of reserving the park. Cash only.

WATERCRAFT: If you need to rent a watercraft, these places may be of help. It is your responsibility to contact, rent, pick up and return all equipment. Kayaks, canoes, SUPs and rafts are acceptable watercraft. Keep in mind this is slack water with little current. All boaters must wear a personal floation device. Please arrange watercraft rental before Saturday, Sept. 9.
 
Whitman College Outdoor Program:
Walla Walla Washington 509-527-5965
 
Washington State University Recreation:
Pullman, Washington 509-335-1892
 
University of Idaho Outdoor Program:
Moscow, Idaho 208-885-6170
 
Lewis-Clark State College Campus Recreation:
Lewiston, Idaho 208-792-2664
 
Tri-State Outfitters:
Moscow, Idaho 208-882-4555
(store locations in Lewiston, Coeur d'Alene, Moses Lake)

DIRECTIONS:
To Chief Timothy from Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington:  
Take Highway 12 west for 8.2 miles from downtown Clarkston. Turn right at Silcot Grade Road and cross a short bridge to Silcot Island and Chief Timothy Park.
Friday, Sept. 8, 2017

SCHEDULE - Friday evening, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9:

September 8, 2017:

5 p.m.
A guest speaker and live music from Folkinception at Chief Timothy Park. Flotilla participants are encouraged to join for camping both Friday and Saturday nights. Camping is first-come, first-served..

Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017

8 a.m.
Meet at Chief Timothy Park boat launch parking lot in Clarkston, Wash. There will be parking lot volunteers to greet people, facilitate unloading watercraft and parking vehicles. Look for flotilla registration table to sign waivers. Coffee and light breakfast foods will be provided. A flotilla logistics and water safety team talk will follow.
 
10 a.m.
Launch boats. You are responsible for your own water, snacks, etc. See Flotilla Essentials above. This year we will paddle 3 miles downstream from the park through several beautiful portions of the Snake River Canyon. Round-trip paddle will be 6 miles.

3 p.m.
Return to Chief Timothy Park and eat lunch. There will be food for sale, but participants are welcome to bring food, too.The remainder of the afternoon is for conversation, relaxation and reflection. For those who are camping at the park it will be a good time to set up camp.

5 p.m.
Live music by Smackout Pack, Atlas Hugged and additional festivities at Chief Timothy Park. Camping available.

You can also visit: freethesnake.com for updates and further information.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2021
 
Contact: Charlie Andrews, Press Office: 202-224-2834
 
Joint Statement from Senator Murray and Governor Inslee on Future of Columbia River Basin
 
Seattle, WA — U.S. Senator Patty Murray and Washington Governor Jay Inslee released the following joint statement today regarding the need for action on salmon and the future of the Columbia River Basin.
 
“Regional collaboration on a comprehensive, long-term solution to protect and bring back salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin and throughout the Pacific Northwest is needed now more than ever. However, a solution must ensure those who rely on the river in the Basin and across the Pacific Northwest are part of the process. Any solution must honor Tribal Treaty Rights; ensure reliable transportation and use of the river; ensure ongoing access for our region’s fishermen and sportsmen, guarantee Washington farmers remain competitive and are able to get Washington state farm products to market; and deliver reliable, affordable, and clean energy for families and businesses across the region.
 
“We must rely on science-based and community-driven forums to help bring people together and reach actionable solutions.  While we appreciate Representative Simpson’s efforts and the conversations we have had so far with Tribes and stakeholders, it is clear more work within the Pacific Northwest is necessary to craft a lasting, comprehensive solution, and we do not believe the Simpson proposal can be included in the proposed federal infrastructure package. Therefore, we are calling for a formal, regional process that is based on science, consensus, and ensuring all voices in the region are heard.  Importantly, it is critical that this process takes all options into consideration, including the potential breaching of the Lower Four Snake River Dams. Entities like the Columbia Basin Collaborative (CBC) could help us identify a plan that would uphold these principles and identify a path to achieving consensus and collaboration. 
 
“To make this goal into reality, certain key steps must be part of our approach:

• The work of the Columbia Basin Collaborative should be accelerated and result in clear, detailed proposals for the future of the region that reflect the best available science, comprehensive stakeholder input and consensus.
• Infrastructure must be part of the solution. That means investments in clean energy storage solutions, habitat restoration, transportation infrastructure, waterway management, Washington’s agricultural economy, and more.
• Solutions that benefit the entire Columbia River Basin must be pursued. Washington state has a history of successfully bringing diverse groups together to develop solutions that benefit all stakeholders. This must be the model for the management of the Columbia River Basin.

“We are ready to work with our Northwest Tribes, states, and all the communities that rely on the river system to achieve a solution promptly. We, too, want action and a resolution that restores salmon runs and works for all the stakeholders and communities in the Columbia River Basin.”
 
###

Portland, OR—Today Earthfix news released video footageof Judge James Redden endorsing increased spill for salmon as well as lower Snake River Dam removal to save wild salmon. The Judge, who resigned from the long running salmon case last November after a decade, presided over the case longer than any other federal judge and is intricately familiar with both the law and the science around Snake River salmon restoration.  His remarks today are his strongest statement on NW salmon policy to date.

Said Save Our wild Salmon policy director Nicole Cordan, “Judge Redden agrees with what we have known for years: that the river needs to run more like a river if we are going to save wild salmon. His remarks highlight a need to bring stakeholders together and discuss options, including lower Snake River dam removal, in a collaborative and science-based forum.”

Said former Oregon Chief of Fisheries Doug DeHart, “Removing the lower Snake dams is the measure most likely to restore wild Snake River salmon. The Judge knows it, scientists and economists know it, conservationists know it. The only real question now is why don’t the federal agencies know it?”

The endorsement is great news for thousands of businesses in the Pacific salmon states, as salmon restoration is responsible for jobs from California to Alaska.

“The judge’s statements call into question the Federal Agencies interpretation of the ruling from last August that they’re on the ‘right track,’” said Glen Spain of Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations.  “Clearly the judge intended for more serious revisions to the illegal BiOp.”

The video footage is part of a documentary being produced by Aaron Kunz of Idaho Public TV to be released later this summer. In the meantime, the footage will be helpful in setting a solutions table of the region’s stakeholders to start the work of saving endangered salmon now.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Judge blasts latest federal salmon recovery plan

By Erik Robinson, Columbian Staff Writer

U.S. District Judge James Redden raised the possibility that, without substantial changes in favor of salmon, federal dam operators could even be held criminally or civilly liable.

Anniversary of Judge’s Ruling Shows Little Progress for Endangered Salmon

Court-ordered spill over dams boosts returns, but federal agencies fail to act on legal directives

Portland, Ore. – One year ago today, U.S. District Judge James Redden ruled the federal plan to restore endangered Columbia-Snake salmon illegal.  Citing the plan as “arbitrary and capricious,” it was the fourth federal plan, and the third in a row, that the court has ruled illegal. While we have seen some successes for salmon in the last year as a result of court-ordered spill, federal agencies appear to have made little to no progress on the major directives in Judge Redden’s year-old ruling. In his August 2011 decision, Judge Redden asked for a stronger scientific basis for the plan’s weak jeopardy standard, additional attention to spill and flow, and an analysis of lower Snake River dam removal.

Said Todd True, Earthjustice attorney for the plaintiffs, "A few runs of salmon are doing somewhat better thanks to the court's insistence that the federal agencies continue to spill water over the dams in the Spring and Summer to help flush baby salmon out to sea, but sadly we haven't seen any indication that the federal agencies are taking serious steps to build a salmon plan that addresses the Court's core concern about dam operations and their harmful effects on salmon survival."

Said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, “Okanogan sockeye salmon numbers are high as a direct result of spill and favorable ocean conditions, but Snake River sockeye numbers are lower than in recent years. While spill is helping salmon and thus fishing jobs, we still need to see more progress. The feds are just doing too little to address this issue.”

NW Energy Coalition executive director Sara Patton expressed her disappointment in the lack of federal progress since Redden’s last decision. “With so much at stake for so many people and interests – commercial and recreational fishers, power producers and consumers, river transporters, river- and fishing-dependent communities -- we clearly need a new process to address everyone’s concerns,” said Patton.

The lack of progress in the last year provides even further reason for a solutions-oriented stakeholder process for the Columbia-Snake Rivers.  Though it would take work and time, such a process could achieve a lawful, science-based, and broadly supported salmon plan that also aids the Northwest’s clean energy and transportation goals. Judge Redden gave federal agencies until December 2013 to submit a new salmon plan.  

YOU'RE INVITED:

FOR QUESTIONS OR TO RSVP, CONTACT:

JACOB SCHMIDT - JACOB@WILDSALMON.ORG

FOR QUESTIONS OR TO RSVP, CONTACT:

JACOB SCHMIDT - JACOB@WILDSALMON.ORG

Removing dams, Rewilding salmon, Revitalizing communities.

The story of the Snake River, its salmon, and its people raises the fundamental questions of who should exercise control over natural resources and which interests should receive highest priority. It also offers surprising counterpoints to the notion of hydropower as a cheap, green, and reliable source of energy, and challenges the wisdom of heavily subsidized water and electricity.

On May 4th, the long-awaited verdict from U.S. District Court in Portland (OR) was issued. Judge Michael Simon soundly rejected the federal agencies’ 2014 Columbia Basin Salmon Plan. While this is the 5th federal plan since 2000 to meet this fate, last month’s ruling was significantly different.

Here are a series of links to the ruling, SOS factsheets, and media coverage.

I. U.S. DISTRICT COURT RULING (May 4, 2016):

NWF et al v. NMFS et al

------------------------------------

II. SOS FACTSHEETS(May 2016):

#1: Opinion Backgrounder: What did the court do? Why it's different? What's next?

#2: Highlighted Quotations from the May 4, 2016 U.S. District Court Verdict 

#3: Climate Change, Cost, and the Lower Snake River Dams

------------------------------------

III. A PARTIAL LIST OF MEDIA CLIPS: editorials, articles and guest opinions (May/June 2016):

Idaho Mountain Express Editorial: Stop the Dance of Death(6.2.2016)

East Oregonian Editorial: Feds are running out of half measures(5.10.2016)

Seattle Times Op-Ed: Federal court decision is a critical opportunity for salmon, energy and communities(5.14.2016)

Crosscut.com: Judge: Failed salmon restoration has cost billions(5.17.2016)

Idaho Statesman Guest Opinion: Dams are damning wild salmon and steelhead in Idaho and the Northwest(5.22.2016)

Idaho Mountain Express: Middle Fork could regain role as salmon nursery. But biologist says out-of-basin factors remain obstacles(5.27.2016)

Green Acre Radio: The Great Salish Sea: Double Jeopardy - Endangered Orcas and Endangered Salmon (6.15.2016)

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Rebecca Bowe | rbowe@earthjustice.org | 415-217-2093

Court to Consider Immediate Measures to Bolster Salmon Survival
Plaintiffs seek increase in spill and a halt to spending on dam infrastructure that may soon be retired
 
The U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore. will hear arguments on March 9 concerning Earthjustice’s motion for injunction seeking short-term measures to improve salmon survival rates. The requested actions will better provide safe passage for juvenile salmon navigating the heavily dammed Columbia River Basin during the spring migration season, and help ensure a level playing field as federal dam operators consider the possibility of dam removal on the lower Snake River.

Plaintiffs seek an increase in water releases over spillways at the four lower Snake River and four lower Columbia River dams, to improve survival rates for endangered juvenile salmon bound for the ocean. They also request a moratorium on tens of millions in capital spending on projects that would extend the life of dams on the lower Snake River that may soon be retired. Federal agencies are currently in the process of conducting a NEPA/EIS Review in the wake of a May 2016 ruling that rejected a previous salmon protection plan as illegal under NEPA and the Endangered Species Act. Agencies must consider lower Snake River dam removal as an alternative under that analysis.

WHO
Earthjustice, together with the State of Oregon and with support from the Nez Perce Tribe, is representing a host of fishing groups and conservation organizations including the National Wildlife Federation, Save Our Wild Salmon, Pacific Coast Federation of Fisheries Associations, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, Idaho Rivers United, and more. WHAT:
U.S. District Court of Portland hears motion for injunction. WHEN:
Thursday, March 9, 2017. 10 a.m. WHERE:
Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, Room 1327
1000 Southwest Third Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97204-2944 REPORTER RESOURCES:

• Background on fight to save wild salmon
• Reply memo in support of Motion for Injunction
• Declaration of Kevin Lewis, executive director of Idaho Rivers United

Contact:
Britt Freda, Northwest Artists Against Extinction, britt@nwaae.org
Joseph Bogaard, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, 206-300-1003, joseph@wildsalmon.org
Peter Stanley, Kittredge Gallery Manager, University of Puget Sound, pstanley@pugetsound.edu
Elise Richman, Professor, Painting and NWAAE member, University of Puget Sound, 206-679-8915, erichman@pugetsound.edu

University of Puget Sound and Save Our wild Salmon host art exhibit celebrating wild salmon and the many benefits they bring to our region

TACOMA, WA (March 8, 2023) – Northwest Artists Against Extinction, a project of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, has partnered with University of Puget Sound’s Kittredge Gallery to host an exhibit — Honor: People & Salmon— in March and April.

Honor: People & Salmon is an exhibit featuring thirty Northwest-based artists who have created artwork that evokes the magic and mystique of wild salmon, other fish and wildlife that depend upon them, and the many communities that honor and cherish this emblematic species. Salmon are intrinsic to the cultures and economies of many of the region’s Tribes and an essential food source for the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas.

Participating artists include Israel Shotridge, Josh Udesen, Rachel Teannalach, Amy Gulick, Karen Hackenberg, Jen McLuen, Sue Coccia, Melissa Cole, and Austin Picinich, among others. Visit the exhibition website for the full list of participating artists.

WHEN: The exhibit runs from Monday, March 6 to April 15, 2023.
(The gallery will be closed on March 11-19 during the University’s spring break.)
WHERE: Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N Warner St, Tacoma, WA 98416

THERE ARE TWO SPECIAL EVENTS SCHEDULED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS EXHIBIT:

1. Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion (Kittredge Gallery | Tacoma, WA)

• WHEN: Thursday, March 23, 5:00 - 6:30 pm
• WHAT: Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion featuring local leaders, professors, and contributing artists from Honor: People & Salmon. This panel discussion is free and open to the public.

2. Closing Reception (Kittredge Gallery | Tacoma, WA)

• WHEN: Saturday, April 15, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
• WHAT: As a grand finale for the Honor: People & Salmon exhibit, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition and Puget Sound’s Kittredge Gallery will host a closing reception with many of the participating artists in attendance. Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest will host a reading from her forthcoming anthology, I Sing The Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State. Ms. Priest will be joined by other contributing poets to read their poems and discuss this collection of poetry. This reception is free and open to the public.

For further information:

• Honor: People & Salmon exhibit at the University of Puget Sound’s Kittredge Gallery
• Northwest Artists Against Extinction
• Save Our wild Salmon Coalition
• Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound

Oct 21 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following joint statement regarding the Biden Administration announcement of an interim agreement and request for a stay of the ongoing Federal Columbia River Power System litigation to improve conditions for salmon and steelhead populations in the region.

“We commend all parties for coming to an agreement on short term mitigation and agreeing to explore solutions in an expeditious manner as we work to save the salmon in the Pacific Northwest. With climate change altering water cycles and ecosystems, we need regionally-driven solutions to safeguard the health and prosperity of the Columbia River Basin and the Pacific Northwest’s environment and economy. We welcome this effort and its focus on the needs of Washington today and in the future,”the senators said.

The full announcement from the U.S. Department of the Interior is available HERE.

Conservation and faith groups respond to 7 NW Members of Congress: 
Yes - negotiations need to move forward – but include restoring the Columbia’s health, avoid threatening Canada with treaty termination.  

Greg Haller (Pacific Rivers Council) 503.228.3555 greg@pacificrivers.org
Joseph Bogaard  (Save Our wild Salmon Coalition)  206.300-1003 joseph@wildsalmon.org
The Rev. W. Thomas Soeldner (Earth Ministry)  509.270-6995   waltsoe@gmail.com
John Osborn MD (Ethics & Treaty Project) 509.939-1290  john@waterplanet.ws Portland –  Responding to a letter to President Trump signed by seven Members of Congress (MOCs) from the Northwest, today Northwest conservation and faith groups encouraged the United States to work for restoring the health of the Columbia and avoid threatening Canada with termination of the Columbia River Treaty. The United States currently has the authority to begin negotiations but the federal government in Canada has not finalized its position.  The provincial elections in British Columbia and  efforts to install Provincial leadership in the wake of the tight vote last month have also contributed to the delay in finalizing the Canadian federal government’s position.

“The people of the Columbia River Basin – in both nations - can ‘hang together or hang separately,’” said Joseph Bogaard of Save Our wild Salmon.  “We support moving forward to negotiate a modern Columbia River Treaty.  But terminating the Treaty, or threatening to do so, is counter-productive. Our leaders in both nations need to work together, in good faith, to manage the Columbia River for the Common Good.”

The Columbia River is an international river managed jointly by the United States and Canada using the Columbia River Treaty.  The Canadian portion of the Columbia River Basin is water rich, comprising only about 15 percent of the Basin’s land area, but producing about 40 percent of the River Basin’s water.  Two centuries ago when Lewis & Clark and David Thompson first greeted indigenous people of the river basin, the Columbia was among the richest salmon rivers on earth.  Since then, large dams and reservoirs have transformed the river into an integrated hydropower system.

On June 21, seven members of Congress sent a letter to President Trump, outlining the history of the Columbia River Treaty, encouraging treaty negotiation and threatening treaty termination.  The MOC letter does not include several important historical elements, including that communities in the Columbia Basin, especially tribes and First Nations, were never consulted in writing the international river treaty.  Nor does the MOC letter mention that the benefits of damming the Columbia River for hydropower and flood risk management came with wrenching costs to salmon and people who depend on the river.  

“The United States has come a very long way to try work with Canada to right historic wrongs and support river stewardship,” said John Osborn, a Northwest physician with the Ethics & Treaty Project.  “We continue to encourage the Treaty Power Group and elected officials that the way forward is working in good faith and through respectful dialogue with our neighbors to the north to promote the Common Good -- including river stewardship and passage for salmon now blocked by dams.”

In 2013 following years of discussions and thousands of letters from concerned citizens, federal agencies recommended that the State Department include restoring the river’s health (“Ecosystem Management”) as a primary purpose of an updated treaty, along with hydropower and flood control.  All four Northwest states, 15 Columbia Basin tribes, fishermen and environmentalists support that recommendation.  In 2016 the United States began encouraging Canada to negotiate. 

“Citizens of the Columbia Basin care about power bills but also care about stewardship, social justice, and advancing the Common Good,” said The Rev. W. Thomas Soeldner, a retired Lutheran minister and educator.  “Threatening Canada with treaty termination carries great risks to all life in the Basin now and into the future -- including deep drawdowns of U.S. reservoirs in Idaho and elsewhere in the Basin, which will negatively affect the Columbia River ecosystem and power generation.”

The Treaty Power Group’s, and some congressional members’ willingness to threaten termination is short-sighted and undermines the goodwill and constructive approach that is needed to tackle the full range of issues that must be addressed in a modern river treaty.  If the Treaty is terminated, then the U.S. will be required to shoulder the burden of flood risk management with U.S. dams, with no guarantees of Canada’s help.  This will cost the U.S. billions of dollars in flood protection and recompense from its own dams, undermine power generation, worsen impacts on fish and wildlife, and destroy coordinated and cooperative U.S. and Canada flood risk management that has existed as an international model for more than 50 years.

“Protecting and restoring healthy salmon populations in the Columbia Basin represents an unparalleled opportunity for our region to invest in the economy, create family-wage jobs and improve our quality of life and the health of our environment,” said Greg Haller, Conservation Director for the Pacific Rivers Council.  “Healthy salmon populations deliver valuable and irreplaceable benefits to our region’s economy and ecology including thousands of jobs in guiding, retail sales, manufacturing, tourism, worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually.”

Links –
 
Members of Congress Letter to President Trump regarding importance of renegotiating Treaty, including notice of termination (June 21, 2017)

Monday, October 28, 2013

Center for Environmental Law & Policy  |  Oregon WaterWatch
Pacific Rivers Council  |  Save Our wild Salmon  |  Sierra Club
 
Treaty Power Group proposal would miss opportunities to protect ratepayers, communities, environment in a changing climate
 
Contacts -
• Pat Ford (SOS)  208.345-9067  pford@wildidaho.org
• Suzanne Skinner (CELP)  206.829-8366 sskinner@celp.org
• Greg Haller (Pacific Rivers) 503.228.3555 greg@pacificrivers.org 
• Rhett Lawrence (Sierra Club) 503.238-0442 x304 Rhett.Lawrence@sierraclub.org

Portland – Today Northwest conservation groups called on the U.S. Department of State to continue to move forward with modernizing the Columbia River Treaty.   The Bonneville Power Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers have reviewed and gathered regional input on the Columbia River Treaty to advise the State Department on the treaty’s future after 2024. On Friday, October 25, the public comment period closed for the draft of the regional recommendation.


The federal agencies have recommended that the State Department include restoring the ecosystem as a primary purpose of an updated treaty, along with hydropower and flood control, a feature that will make the Treaty a model of international water management. All four Northwest states, 15 Columbia Basin tribes, fishermen and environmentalists support that recommendation.  “Modernizing the Columbia River Treaty is good for our region and our country, our economies and our environment, our cities and farms and salmon," said Pat Ford of Save Our wild Salmon.  “As climate change takes further hold in our waters, a new Treaty that keeps ecosystems healthy will be good for all uses, including power production and flood protection.” Opposing the federal agencies’ recommendations are some utilities who call themselves the Treaty Power Group.  The Treaty Power Group has threatened to kill the Treaty to avoid paying for their share of downstream benefits of storing water in British Columbia dams under the current Treaty.  “The Treaty Power Group’s position fails to consider the tremendous economic benefits that the entire region has gotten from the current Treaty in predictable hydropower forecasting and flood control,” said Suzanne Skinner of the Center for Environmental Law and Policy.  “If the Treaty Power Group gets its way, the Northwest will suffer.  The benefits that the U.S. gets under the Treaty from flood control alone have been estimated as high as $32 billion over the lifetime of the current treaty, and at over $2 billion in 2012.” “The utilities’ short-sighted position risks great drawdowns of U.S. reservoirs, including non-treaty dams in Idaho and elsewhere in the Basin, which will negatively affect the Columbia River ecosystem and power generation,” said Greg Haller, Conservation Director for the Pacific Rivers Council.  “Federal agencies have thus far rejected this extreme position, and rightly so.” “Citizens of the Columbia Basin care about power bills but also care about healthy rivers,” said Rhett Lawrence, Conservation Director for Sierra Club’s Oregon Chapter.  “We must have the Treaty to coordinate the actions of both nations for power generation, flood risk management -- and the health of the Columbia River, including salmon.” The next step for the United States in modernizing the Columbia River Treaty is for BPA and Army Corps of Engineers (together called the "U.S. Entity") to work with the Sovereign Review Team to review and integrate public comments into the Regional Recommendations by November 14.   The U.S. Entity has a stated goal of delivering its Regional Recommendations to the State Department on December 13.    Links -

• Sierra Club comment letter on Draft Regional Recommendations 10-25-2013
• Include salmon, climate provisions in river treaty. opinion, Spokesman-Review, 10-28-2013
• Naiads for updates on Treaty and other water issues

###

STATEMENT FROM PAT FORD, Executive Director, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition December 11, 2012
 
On December 11, NOAA contacted more than 200 entities and people in the Pacific Northwest States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana identified as ‘Columbia Basin Stakeholders’ as the start of a new effort to solicit input concerning the challenges and opportunities of protecting and restoring endangered wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
 
“This is a critical first step toward initiating a dialogue and collaboration among Columbia-Snake Basin stakeholders. After more than a decade of illegal salmon plans and uncertainty for Northwest people, we urgently need a new approach that directly engages the region’s stakeholders to solve problems, create jobs and restore our endangered salmon and steelhead. NOAA Chief Dr. Jane Lubchenco and her Northwest staff deserve praise for making a smart decision to begin this assessment.
 
It will be important that this effort leads to a collaborative process that includes all interested parties and considers all recovery options. Direct stakeholder engagement that allows all affected interests to collaborate on shared solutions for salmon, our communities and our economy will represent a significant turning point for our region.
 
Salmon and fishing advocates look forward to participating as part of an inclusive collaborative approach in which all affected parties –fishermen, farmers, utilities, energy consumers, shippers and others – have a voice. We believe that is our best chance to forge a plan that has comprehensive buy-in because it will benefit people widely throughout the region. Given the at-risk status of more than a dozen salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia Basin today, and the challenges facing fishing communities as a result, we urge NOAA to move ahead quickly from its stakeholder assessment to a substantive regional collaboration.
 
NOAA’s initiative reflects the broad, growing support of Northwest leaders, families and businesses to bring together stakeholders to work in common cause for effective, lasting solutions in the Columbia-Snake Basin.”

Pat Ford lives in Boise, ID. He can be reached at: pford@wildidaho.org; 208-345-9067

Below you will find an alert recently sent out by the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association to its member coops.  It is seriously incomplete and potentially misleading in a number of ways. First, on the costs of an April court order to increase spill to protect juvenile salmon and steelhead, BPA recently provided testimony in an on-going rate case admitting that the impacts of the order could range from negligible to several million dollars and cannot be determined at this time.  Moreover, BPA’s prediction of possible multi-million dollar costs for the increased spill depends on assumptions about the market price for electricity in the spring of 2018 that could well be double actual market prices then.  The most likely outcome is that the increased spill will have minimal, if any, impact on customer bills.  Those bills will be much more affected by market conditions and other forces.

Second, years of scientific research by scores of scientists working together in the region demonstrate that increased levels of spill help increase juvenile salmon survival and adult returns. Third, the best scientific information shows that the federal hydro-system is the largest source of human-caused mortality for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin - killing up to 70% of the fish annually.  The 97% survival number in the alert is for survival from the just above to just below a single dam.  Juvenile salmon have to get past eight dams.  The 97% number also leaves out fish that die in the reservoirs behind each dam from predation, disease and warm water.  And it leaves out fish that die after they get past all the dams because of injuries and wear-and-tear from dam passage.  For most salmon and steelhead populations, juvenile survival through the entire hydrosystem is about 50% or less. Finally, Oregon has been a regional leader in advocating for salmon and steelhead restoration based on careful scientific analysis of the effects of the hydrosystem on these fish.  At the same time, it has been a strong advocate for a smart and efficient electric power supply.  Oregon’s consistent success in court over the years in protecting salmon reflects this focus on good science and balance.  Courts do not rule for parties that misuse science or present inaccurate and incomplete information.  But the courts have consistently ruled for Oregon.  And Oregon is not alone in its efforts.  It has the strong support of the Nez Perce Tribe and of sport and commercial fishing organizations whose livelihoods and families depend on the recovery of our wild salmon heritage. ORECA’s use of incomplete and potentially misleading information in an alert to its member coops is a disservice to all of those served by our rural electric cooperatives.  These cooperatives could play an important and constructive role in restoring Columbia basin salmon – but only of they have all the fact, not just a handpicked few.

If you have questions and would like to see further information, please contact joseph@wildsalmon.org. Thank you.

The following letter was sent from Oregon Governor Kate Brown to the Northwest Congressional delegation regarding HR 3144.

January 22, 2018

As Governor of the State of Oregon, I write expressing deep concerns with HR 3144. I am concerned this legislation would thwart fewer court direction to provide additional spill at dams on the lower Columbia and Snake rivers and the collaborative state, tribal and federal process that has worked effectively to develop spill provisions for 2018. These court-ordered collaborative efforts resulted in consensus recommendations from all sovereigns, representing a positive, and unprecedented, step forward in building stronger consensus from recovery actions. HR 3144 would negate this progress and our ability to implement and learn from these consensus recommendations.

HR 3144 would also derail ongoing collaborative efforts to examine a range of potential future dam operations and salmon management options required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The State of Oregon has engaged in good faith as cooperating agencies with federal agency leads for this Columbia Snake River Operations study. This process is vital to secure a sustainable path forward optimizing power, commerce, agriculture and fish recovery within a changing social and environmental landscape.

Through NEPA and the Endangered Species Act, Congress established processes for federal decision-making that are grounded in a robust analysis of alternatives in a systematic and science-based manner. HR 3144 contravenes these important principles and would disrupt the regional efforts to engage in a full, accurate and transparent analysis of salmon and dam management.

Washington Governor Inslee has expressed similar opposition to HR 3144. Oregonians and Washingtonians share decades of investment in covering Columbia River salmon, and I join my colleague in asking you to oppose HR 3144.

Sincerely,

Governor Kate Brown

Ask for his help to convene stakeholder table

Portland, OR— Today, 19 Oregon state legislators urged U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley to stand up for Columbia-Snake River salmon and the communities that depend upon them by helping to convene a stakeholder process. Senator Merkley has a strong history of supporting salmon in the Northwest. In 2009, he called for a solutions table to chart a new path forward on salmon restoration efforts. In a letter submitted today to Senator Merkley, fellow Oregon elected officials call on the Senator to step up his support for these economically, culturally, and biologically important creatures.

Last August, a U.S. district court again rejected the federal agencies' restoration plan for wild salmon in the Columbia and Snake River basin as illegal. After a dozen years, three administrations, and four iterations of illegal federal policies, a new approach on salmon policy is essential. Over 1,100 American businesses, 52 U.S. representatives, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, the Nez Perce Tribe, and tens of thousands of Americans have all joined Senator Merkley in supporting a stakeholder process.

Oregon State Representative Jules Bailey said, "Senator Merkley's leadership on this issue thus far has been critical. We need his help now more than ever to help lead this process and demonstrate to the rest of the country that Oregon creates smart, effective policies through collaboration, guided by science.

State Senator Jackie Dingfelder agreed: "Salmon are an icon of our region and a natural resource that continues to be plagued by insufficient federal policies. Losing these fish is not an option -- we need real leadership to chart a new path forward by working with stakeholders to create a transparent, lawful and sound restoration plan that will actually help these fish."

View the full list of signers and complete text of the letter.

Amy Baird, Save Our wild Salmon, (503) 230-0421 X 13, media@wildsalmon.org

Judge rejects requests by opponents to disapprove agreement

February 8, 2024

CONTACTS
Elizabeth Manning, Communications, Earthjustice, emanning@earthjustice.org, (907) 277-2555
Amanda Goodin, Attorney, Earthjustice, (206) 629-8525
Jacqueline Koch, Communications, National Wildlife Federation, (206) 687-8546

PORTLAND, OR — A federal judge in Oregon today approved a long-term pause in Snake River litigation. The ruling by Judge Michael Simon means a tribal-state plan and U.S. government commitments to restore the Columbia River Basin will continue as planned and announced in December.

“This is great news allowing our collaborative work to advance Columbia River restoration to move forward,” said Earthjustice Senior Attorney Amanda Goodin. “We have agreed to pause our litigation for five and up to 10 years to work in partnership to restore the Columbia Basin. With salmon on the brink of extinction, this new approach is desperately needed. We’re grateful to the Biden administration for helping us chart this new path forward.”

The restoration work, based on the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative (CBRI) proposed by four Columbia Basin Tribes (Nez Perce, Yakama, Umatilla, and Warm Springs) and the states of Oregon and Washington, includes U.S. commitments totaling more than $1 billion in federal funding. The agreement includes measures to protect and restore Columbia and Snake River salmon, steelhead, and other native fish populations along with strategies and funding to replace the energy, transportation, irrigation, and recreation services provided by the four lower Snake River dams, paving the way for dam breaching.

The region will benefit significantly both ecologically and economically by replacing the lower Snake River dams’ services with more robust, resilient, and reliable energy, transportation, and irrigation systems and by restoring healthy and abundant salmon and other fisheries. The federal government has already committed significant funding for Columbia Basin restoration, with commitments to work to secure further funding in the months and years to come.

“This landmark agreement, based on a plan developed by Tribes and States, offers critical forward momentum after more than 25 years of litigation,” said Sierra Club Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign Director Bill Arthur. “Restoring these fisheries is essential for honoring Tribal Treaty rights but will also benefit the entire region.”

“This plan and the accompanying federal commitments will allow the Pacific Northwest to modernize energy services while restoring Columbia and Snake River fish and meeting our climate goals,” said Nancy Hirsh, executive director of the NW Energy Coalition. “This agreement offers tremendous opportunity for Northwest communities, Tribes and our fisheries. We’re excited to see this moving forward.”

The joint motion approved today pauses litigation that had challenged flawed dam operations on the Columbia Basin for failing to protect endangered Snake River salmon and steelhead. The litigation stay was requested by a coalition of fishing, conservation and renewable energy groups, represented by Earthjustice, along with the States of Oregon and Washington, four Columbia Basin tribes — the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe — and federal defendants in the case.

Earthjustice represents National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, Northwest Energy Coalition, Idaho Conservation League, Idaho Rivers United, Columbia Riverkeeper, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Institute for Fisheries Resources, and Fly Fishers International. The Nez Perce Tribe and the State of Oregon are also aligned with these groups in litigation. A broad group of supporters and advocates are pushing to restore the Snake River and save wild salmon.

The groups that opposed the litigation stay include the State of Idaho, the Public Power Council and the Inland Ports and Navigation Group.

Download Legal Document 

Sun sets on a dammed section of the Snake River in between Lower Granite dam and Lewiston, ID, near Chief Timothy Park. (Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice)

PRESS ADVISORY

August 25, 2017

Contacts:

Sam Mace, Save Our Wild Salmon (509) 863-5696
Brett Haverstick, Friends of the Clearwater (208) 882-9755
Julian Matthews, Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment (208) 790-4296

3rd Annual Free the Snake Flotilla: Boaters Call for Dam Removal to Save Wild Steelhead, Salmon

WHAT: Boat Flotilla in Support of a Free-Flowing lower Snake River
WHEN: September 8-9, 2017
WHERE: Chief Timothy State Park, Clarkston, WA.

Hundreds of people from the Northwest and beyond, including tribal members, anglers, business owners, conservationists, outfitters and recreational boaters will launch from Chief Timothy Park for a six-mile roundtrip paddle and rally on the river in support of removing the four lower Snake River dams.

This peaceful, family-friendly two-day event will open at 6 pm on Friday, Sept. 8 at Chief Timothy Park with tribal drummers and guest speakers. Spokane band Folkinception will follow. On Saturday, Sept. 9, at 10 am, the paddle and rally on the water will launch from the Chief Timothy Park boat launch. Camping Friday and Saturday night will be available at Chief Timothy for participants.

After the Flotilla there will be a celebration with Spokane bands Atlas Hugged and Smackout Pack in the park.

Snake River wild salmon and steelhead returns have plummeted since the lower Snake River dams were built between 1960-1975. This year, Snake River steelhead returns are the lowest seen in decades. Fishing businesses are struggling and tribal treaty obligations are not being fulfilled. Puget Sound orcas that rely on salmon are starving. With climate change, the impacts of the dams and hot reservoirs are growing worse.

Scientists say the single best thing to save crashing wild salmon and steelhead of the Columbia River Basin is the removal of the four lower Snake River dams. Dam removal would return the 140-mile lower Snake River corridor to free-flowing and honor historic treaty rights of area tribes. It would also be the greatest river restoration in history.

Sponsors include: Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment, Friends of the Clearwater, Save Our Wild Salmon, Earthjustice, Patagonia, Earth Ministry, Idaho Rivers United, EcoDepot, Mountain Gear, Sierra Club, Spokane Falls Trout Unlimited, Palouse-Clearwater Trout Unlimited, Wild Steelhead Coalition, Snake Riverkeeper, Fighting Goliath, RoastHouse Coffee, American Rivers, The Lands Council, American Whitewater, Idaho River Adventures, OARS, Northwest Steelheaders, Backcountry Lark, R.O.W., Endangered Species Coalition and Greater Hells Canyon Council.

For full details visit FreeTheSnake.com

September 4th, 2018 Contacts: Sam Mace, Save Our Wild Salmon (509) 863-5696, sam@wildsalmon.org">sam@wildsalmon.org
Julian Matthews, Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment (208) 790-4296, nimiipuuprotecting@gmail.com">nimiipuuprotecting@gmail.com
Brett Haverstick, Friends of the Clearwater (208) 882-9755, foc@friendsoftheclearwater.org">foc@friendsoftheclearwater.org 4th Annual "Free the Snake! Flotilla" to feature nationally-recognized indigenous advocate Winona LaDuke and award-winning musician Nahko Tribal members, salmon advocates, anglers and orca advocates gather on the Snake River to call for dam removal to restore a healthy river and protect its endangered wild salmon and steelhead population from extinction WHAT:  Flotilla and River Rally in Support of a Free-Flowing lower Snake River
WHEN: September 7-8, 2018
WHERE: Chief Timothy State Park, Clarkston, WA. Hundreds of tribal members, anglers, business owners, conservationists, outfitters and recreational boaters will launch from Chief Timothy Park for a canoe paddle and rally on the river in support of removing four outdated dams on the lower Snake River to restore salmon, honor Treaty Rights, support fishing jobs and feed starving Southern Resident orcas.  Participants will be sending a message to Pacific Northwest elected leaders and federal agencies that bold action is needed to protect and restore salmon, and that it is time to bring stakeholders and communities together to remove the four lower Snake River dams, and invest in clean energy and modern transportation infrastructure to replace the limited, declining benefits these four aging dams provide. This peaceful, family-friendly two-day event will open at 4 pm on Friday, Sept. 7 at Chief Timothy State Park with tribal drummers, speakers and music.    Early Saturday morning, Sept. 8th, tribal canoes will launch on the Clearwater River at Hog Island and paddle downstream down to Chief Timothy, where they will gather with a flotilla of kayaks, motorboats and canoes for a rally on the river in support of restoring the lower Snake River and its endangered fish populations.  Leading the canoes from Hog Island will be the newly built Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) canoe, the first traditional canoe built by Nimiipuu in 113 years.   After the canoe paddle and water rally, the evening program will begin around 4 pm.  Indigenous activist and founder of Honor the Earth <http://www.honorearth.org/>  Winona LaDuke will address the gathering, followed by performances by musician and activist Nahko Bear <http://nahko.com/>  and indigenous hip hop artist and activist Nataanii Means.   Camping Friday and Saturday night will be available at Chief Timothy for participants. Registration is required for participation in water rally and camping at Chief Timothy.  For the full schedule of activities and other information, visit freethesnake.com <http://freethesnake.com> <http://freethesnake.com> The Snake River’s critically endangered wild salmon and steelhead populations are in desperate need of action to protect them from extinction.  Adult returns here have plummeted since the lower Snake River dams were built between 1960-1975, with especially steep declines in recent years.  Tribal treaty rights are not being fulfilled, and recreation and fishing jobs in the region have been lost.  Meanwhile, billions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on failed and illegal salmon recovery measures. The financial challenges have only multiplied in recent years as these federal projects age and the costs of maintenance and repair steadily rise. Scrutiny on the cost of the four lower Snake River dams has intensified recently as the entire nation was transfixed by the grieving Puget Sound orca Tahlequa (J-35), who publicly bore her dead calf for 17 days, over 1000 miles, dramatically bringing attention to the plight of the Pacific Northwest’s Southern Resident orcas that rely on chinook salmon for survival.  Orca numbers are the lowest in decades – just 75 individual whales survive today; lack of sufficient prey is the primary culprit for their steep decline.  Removing four dams on the lower Snake River to restore healthy salmon populations is the single most beneficial action we can take to provide more food to protect this unique, critically endangered population of orca from extinction. Flotilla sponsors include: Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment, Honor the Earth, Friends of the Clearwater, Save Our Wild Salmon, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Patagonia, Idaho Rivers United, Earth Ministry, EcoDepot, Mountain Gear, Sierra Club, Spokane Falls Trout Unlimited, Palouse-Clearwater Trout Unlimited, Wild Steelhead Coalition, Snake Riverkeeper, Fighting Goliath, Pacific Rivers, RoastHouse Coffee, American Whitewater, R.O.W., Endangered Species Coalition, Spokane Riverkeeper, and Greater Hells Canyon Council. For full details, visit FreeTheSnake.com <http://freethesnake.com>  <http://freethesnake.com>.   ###

Two epic stories about the greatest salmon rivers on Earth… and fishing

Save Our Wild Salmon and Wild Salmon Center Present Eastern Rises and The Greatest Migration

PORTLAND, Ore. — On April 14 at 7pm in NE Portland, Save Our Wild Salmon and Wild Salmon Center and Trout Unlimited are teaming up to present Wild Salmon Rising: two epic films about the greatest salmon rivers on earth… and fishing.

When:April 14 — Doors at 7pm, Films at 7:30pm
Where: Boothster — 521 NE Davis in Portland

Eastern Rises Teaser: http://vimeo.com/3074182
The Greatest Migration Teaser: http://vimeo.com/15041410

FREE Entry, 21 and over. $5 gets you a cup and beer for the night - $3 glasses of wine
$5 gets you 3 raffle tickets for great prizes from Osprey Packs, Patagonia, Idylwilde Flies, Rio Products, KEEN and more!
All proceeds benefit Save Our Wild Salmon.

Join Save Our Wild Salmon, Wild Salmon Center, and Trout Unlimited to enjoy an evening of films, Widmer brews, wild smoked salmon, gear giveaways and to take action to save wild salmon in our own backyard!

RSVP on Facebook or or RSVP to Bobby with a quick email: bobby@wildsalmon.org

Washington, DC-- The heads of seven major environmental groups today called on the White House to undo Bush administration salmon policies on the Snake and Columbia rivers.  The letter calls for the Obama administration to consider major changes to federal dam management and river operations, including the removal of the four lower Snake River dams. 

Portland, OR – In last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama called for improving government efficiency by streamlining the work of federal agencies. 

 One of the examples he cited was the overlapping jurisdictions of agencies responsible for salmon management: “Then there’s my favorite example: the Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they’re in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them when they’re in saltwater. And I hear it gets even more complicated once they’re smoked.”

Change in successful program will harm wild salmon, reduce fishing jobs

October 21, 2021

WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration today announced an important step to chart a path forward in a longstanding Columbia River Basin conflict regarding the operation of 14 federal dams and their impacts on the region's salmon and steelhead populations.

In an effort to take a fresh look at the important issues affecting the communities, economy, and resources of the Pacific Northwest, the United States, the State of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe, and a coalition of plaintiffs led by the National Wildlife Federation have reached a compromise on key disputed elements of 2022 Columbia River system operations. The agreement, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, outlines how eight dams in the Columbia River Basin will be operated over the coming year. This will include additional fish passage spill of water past the dams at certain times of year while still preserving reliable hydropower production, transportation, and other services provided by the dams.

The agreement also asks the court to stay the litigation until the end of July 2022, to afford affected states, Tribal nations, and stakeholders the opportunity to identify and review alternative and durable solutions to longstanding challenges in the Columbia River System.

“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,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “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.”

“Hydroelectric power plays an incredible role in integrating renewable resources and providing carbon-free power, a great example of the affordable and clean energy sources that are available in all pockets of this country,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. "By joining forces with our interagency partners and key stakeholders in the Northwest, DOE will ensure that the reduction of carbon emissions remains a priority, alongside supporting a strong economy and affordable power for families and businesses, as we partner in the Northwest to meet the full range of the region’s goals.”

“The Columbia River System federal dams play a vital role in providing for flood resilience, low-carbon waterborne transportation of goods and public safety in the Region. We remain committed to pursuing collaborative approaches to river management, public safety, and salmon restoration,” stated Acting Principal Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Vance Stewart.

“A healthy and vibrant Columbia River Basin is good for the economy and it’s good for the people of the Pacific Northwest.,” observed Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. “The Columbia River Basin is essential to salmon and steelhead production on the West Coast, providing a key refuge for salmon and steelhead from the effects of climate change. Finding effective solutions to conserve and rebuild these species and their habitat is of critical importance to our work.”

“For the sake of everyone who lives in the Northwest, it is time to chart a more sustainable path in the Columbia River Basin,” said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory. “This agreement opens an opportunity for States, Tribes, Federal agencies, Congress, and all stakeholders to work together to forge enduring solutions that are so badly needed. The Administration is committed to reaching a long-term solution in the region to restore salmon, honoring our commitments to Tribal Nations, ensuring reliable clean energy, and addressing the needs of stakeholders.”

Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Ten-Year Partnership with Tribes & States to Restore Wild Salmon, Expand Clean Energy Production, Increase Resilience, and Provide Energy Stability in the Columbia River Basin

Historic Agreement Honors Tribal Treaty Rights, Addresses Long-Running Litigation Against the Federal Government’s Operation of Dams in the Columbia River Basin

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden-Harris Administration today announced a historic agreement to work in partnership with Pacific Northwest Tribes and States to restore wild salmon populations, expand Tribally sponsored clean energy production, and provide stability for communities that depend on the Columbia River System. Building on President Biden’s direction to Federal agencies, the agreement, when combined with other funding that the Administration is anticipated to deliver to the region, will bring more than $1 billion in new Federal investments to wild fish restoration over the next decade and enable an unprecedented 10-year break from decades-long litigation against the Federal government’s operation of its dams in the Pacific Northwest.

The agreement was filed in the Federal District Court in Oregon and sets commitments made by the Federal Government and implemented through a Memorandum of Understanding between the United States; the States of Oregon and Washington; the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Yakama Tribes; and environmental non-profit organizations.

Implementation of the agreement will diversify and develop affordable, clean, and reliable energy options for the region. Investments under this agreement will help to ensure continued energy reliability and affordability, transportation, recreation, irrigation, and other key services, including in the event that Congress decides to authorize breaching of the four Lower Snake River dams.

Today’s agreement follows a Presidential Memorandum issued by President Biden in September that – for the first time ever – directed Federal agencies to prioritize the restoration of healthy and abundant salmon, steelhead, and other native fish populations in the Columbia River Basin. It also builds on a historic agreement earlier this year to support Tribally led efforts to restore salmon in blocked habitats in the Upper Columbia Basin.

“President Biden understands that the Columbia River System is the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, and for the first time under his direction, federal agencies are putting all hands on deck to support regional and Tribal efforts to restore wild salmon in the region. This agreement charts a new path to restore the river, provide for a clean energy future and the jobs that come with it, and live up to our responsibilities to Tribal Nations,” said Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

“Today’s historic agreement marks a new direction for the Pacific Northwest. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration and state and Tribal governments are agreeing to work together to protect salmon and other native fish, honor our obligations to Tribal nations, and recognize the important services the Columbia River System provides to the economy of the Pacific Northwest,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation.

“The Pacific Northwest’s iconic salmon and steelhead are essential to our ecological and economic wealth, and a sacred part of Tribal ceremonial, spiritual, and subsistence practices since time immemorial. The Columbia River treaty reserved tribes exemplify steadfast leadership in salmon restoration and stewardship, forging a strong partnership with our states in a shared commitment to comanaging this precious natural resource for generations to come. This successful and unprecedented partnership between the six sovereigns and the United States government has established a shared vision and pathway forward for restoration in both the lower and upper Columbia River Basin. Oregon looks forward to continued collaboration on a successful restoration,” said Oregon Governor Tina Kotek.

“Leaders across the region have long recognized that inaction on the Columbia-Snake River would doom our iconic species, do irreversible harm to Tribal communities, and diminish our region’s economic future. This agreement between the U.S. government and the Six Sovereigns and NGO plaintiffs is that path forward. It is a durable, comprehensive product of determined leadership by all parties to help secure the long term economic, energy, and salmon recovery needs of our region,” said Washington Governor Jay Inslee.

This agreement honors Tribal treaty rights. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to honoring and respecting Tribal sovereignty, protecting Tribal homelands, and incorporating Indigenous Knowledge and robust Tribal consultation into planning and decision-making.

“As Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) we are bound to the salmon and the rivers – these are our life sources. We will not allow extinction to be an option for the salmon, nor for us. The United States is bound to salmon and to us by Treaty where we reserved all our fisheries – our Treaty is the supreme law of the land under the United States Constitution,” said Chairman Shannon F. Wheeler, Nez Perce Tribe. “The federal dams on the lower Snake and mainstem Columbia rivers have had – and continue to have – devastating impacts on the salmon and our people, burdening our Treaty partnership. So today, as Six Sovereigns joining together with the United States to advance salmon restoration throughout the Basin – including preparation for breach of the four lower Snake River dams – we are also witnessing the restoration of Tribal Treaties to their rightful place under the rule of law. We appreciate President Biden’s commitment to honor Tribal Treaties, and to work in partnership to restore healthy, abundant salmon throughout the Columbia Basin.”

“The Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and the U.S. government’s commitments list represent many, many hours of collaboration. They not only address goals for healthy, abundant populations of fish to support Tribal treaty and non-tribal harvest, they also respect the future needs of the Columbia Basin in terms of preparing for climate variability, providing clean, reliable energy, transportation, and recreation. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is very appreciative of the collaboration with the Six Sovereigns and our Federal partners, and looks forward to working together to advance the goals of healthy and abundant salmon for the benefit of current and future generations,” said Corinne Sams, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Board of Trustees Member, Fish & Wildlife Commission Chair and Chair of the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission.

“For too long we have seen the federal government try to do the minimum amount necessary to pass legal muster under the Endangered Species Act,” said Jonathan W. Smith, Sr., Warm Springs Tribal Council Chairman. “This minimum effort approach has resulted in our fish populations limping along at depressed levels, oftentimes near-extinction and leaving us without enough salmon for our ceremonies, culture, and subsistence. We are optimistic that this first of its kind Presidential Memorandum on the Columbia Basin will chart a new course for the federal government that will lead to true restoration of our fisheries. There is no time to waste, and the Warm Springs Tribe is committed to working with the federal agencies, our fisheries co-managers and Columbia Basin stakeholders through this agreement to make sustainable healthy and abundant fish returns a reality.”

“Since time immemorial, the strength of the Yakama Nation and its people have come from Nch’í Wána – the Columbia River – and from the fish, game, roots and berries it nourishes. We have fought to protect and restore salmon because salmon are not just a natural resource, they are a cultural resource,” said Gerald Lewis, Yakama Nation Tribal Council Chairman. “Today the Biden Administration has announced its commitment to partner with us, our sister tribes, and our neighbors in the work that we have been doing, and will continue to do, to restore healthy and abundant salmon runs to the Columbia River. We can, and must, restore our salmon; and working together we can, and will, do so in a way that ensures our communities will have the energy and other resources they need for generations to come.”

As part of the agreement, the Biden-Harris Administration will invest $300 million over 10 years to restore native fish and their habitats throughout the Columbia River Basin, with added measures to increase the autonomy of States and Tribes to use these funds. The Administration will also facilitate the build-out of at least one to three gigawatts of Tribally-sponsored renewable energy production, increased flexibility for the hydrosystem, and studies of dam services.

The agreement keeps energy affordable by avoiding potentially significant rate increases from court ordered dam operations. The Bonneville Power Administration estimates that today’s agreement will have an annual average rate impact of 0.7 percent.

“The Columbia River System is an invaluable natural resource that is critical to many stakeholders in the Basin, including the Tribes who have relied on Pacific salmon, steelhead, and other native fish species for sustenance and their cultural and spiritual ways of life since time immemorial,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “As we commemorate today’s historic milestone, the Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to comprehensive and collaborative Basin-wide solutions to restoring salmon and other native fish populations. At every step of the way, Tribes will continue to have a seat at the table and be integral in our efforts to restore and protect these precious ecosystems.”

“For generations, the Columbia River Basin ecosystem has served as an integral economic and cultural cornerstone for communities and businesses throughout the Pacific Northwest — especially tribal communities,” said U.S. Deputy of Secretary David M. Turk. “Today’s historic agreement reinforces the Biden-Harris Administration commitment to honoring the Federal government’s treaty and trust responsibilities to Tribal Nations, and will provide long-term stability and operational reliability so that communities across the region can prosper for generations to come.”

“In the agreement signed today, BPA sought to provide our ratepayers operational certainty and reliability while avoiding costly, unpredictable litigation in support of our mission to provide a reliable, affordable power supply to the Pacific Northwest,” said John Hairston, Administrator and CEO of the Bonneville Power Administration.

“The Army Corps is proud to implement actions that will help restore habitat and fish populations in the Columbia River Basin while continuing our support for the regional economy. It is incredibly important that we do this work collaboratively with Tribal Nations to produce results that honor their treaty rights and our trust obligations, producing durable solutions that withstand the impacts of climate change,” said Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. “The Columbia River provides vital economic and environmental benefits to Tribal Nations, communities and businesses of the Pacific Northwest,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, PhD. “This path forward focuses on the restoration of healthy and abundant salmon, steelhead, and other native fish to meet the needs of the Columbia River Basin while helping ensure the United States upholds its treaty and trust responsibilities to the Tribes.”

White House Press Release Link 

Devoid of science and law, the Obama Salmon Plan - or biological opinion - is a bad ‘trick’ on the people of the Northwest and taxpayers nationwide. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 21, 2021

Media Contact Maggie Caldwell, Earthjustice, mcaldwell@earthjustice.org, (347) 527-6397 Todd True, Earthjustice, ttrue@earthjustice.org, (206) 406-5124

Snake River: Conservation & Fishing Groups Agree to Pause Litigation, Discuss Long-Term, Comprehensive Solution to Aid Struggling Salmon

Federal agencies agree to stop-gap measures for dam operations in 2022

Portland, OR – Earthjustice, on behalf of a coalition of fishing and conservation groups, today joined with Biden administration agencies, the State of Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe to seek a pause until next summer in litigation challenging the latest federal plan for hydropower operations on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. The request for a stay includes an agreement for specific dam operations in 2022. If the Court grants the stay, these parties have committed to use the time to work together to develop and implement a comprehensive, long-term solution that could resolve the long-running litigation over dam operations in National Wildlife Federation v. National Marine Fisheries Service.

The request submitted to the Court states that it “provide[s] an interim compromise while the Parties work together to develop and begin implementing a long-term comprehensive solution.”

“Columbia River salmon have been essential to this treasured river basin for millennia. Now, the salmon and the people, wildlife, and ecosystems that rely upon them are running out of time. This pause in our decades-running litigation offers the federal government, states, Tribes, and conservation advocates an opportunity to come together and finally find common-ground and enact a comprehensive solution to restore salmon,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Congressman Mike Simpson has started an important, bipartisan conversation in the region about the future of Northwest salmon and the lower Snake River dams. We appreciate the commitment of the federal government, State of Oregon, Nez Perce Tribe, and the conservation community to work together to comprehensively resolve this long-standing controversy. We look forward to working with these parties, Tribes and other interests to achieve a successful outcome.”

“We must act very quickly because our salmon are headed toward extinction. Snake River steelhead returns this year were the lowest ever recorded and other stocks are not doing much better,” said Liz Hamilton, Executive Director Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association. “We urgently need a real, comprehensive solution that works for all interests and believe these discussions can deliver that result for salmon, and salmon-dependent communities and others. NSIA is committed to making every effort in the coming months to reach that outcome but is ready to go back to court if we have to.”

“Our region is entering a period of unique opportunity to forge a comprehensive solution that works for all, restores the Snake River and its salmon and honors the rights of tribes. This pause in litigation has engaged the leadership of the Biden administration at a time when key Northwest leaders are also putting forward plans like Rep. Simpson’s and initiatives like Senator Murray’s and Governor Inslee’s to take a new path and develop a durable solution,” said Bill Arthur, the Sierra Club’s Snake River Campaign Director.

“This one-year agreement will provide additional protections for endangered salmon and steelhead in 2022, but the fishing and conservation groups know that with the current configuration of the system, this will not be enough for long-term revitalization of the fish,” said Todd True, Earthjustice attorney. “We’ve said all along that what we need to do is restore the lower Snake River, including breaching the four federal dams there, and make other appropriate investments to replace the power and other economic benefits they provide. That’s the kind of solution we’re seeking.”

The Agreement filed with the Court today not only creates an opportunity to develop and implement a comprehensive solution, it also increases, for 2022, the amount of water shifted away from dam turbines starting next spring to help endangered salmon populations navigate the dams in the Columbia and Snake River basins. Increasing “spill,” as it is called, helps juvenile fish avoid the turbines and pass each dam more quickly along their perilous river migration to reach the ocean where they mature. The Agreement also includes other measures to address the harmful effects of dam operations. The conservation and fishing groups recognize, however, that these are emergency, stop-gap measures to afford these species incremental survival benefits. They are not alone enough to prevent the decline of these fish toward extinction.

In this case, Earthjustice represents American Rivers, Idaho Rivers United, Institute for Fisheries Resources, NW Energy Coalition, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Conservation League and Fly Fishers International as plaintiffs. The State of Oregon is also a plaintiff in the case, and the Nez Perce Tribe is an amicus party aligned with Oregon and the fishing and conservation groups.

The federal agencies involved are U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

REPORTER RESOURCES:

Term Sheet of Today’s Joint Agreement

Joint Motion for Stay

Poll: Washington Voters Support Dam Removal, Investments in Region

Fact Sheet: Why the restoration of the lower Snake River is necessary to save wild salmon

ECONorthwest Study on economics of removing the lower Snake River Dams

NW Energy Coalition Study on replacing the power of the four lower Snake River Dams

Online version of this release

BACKGROUND:

The Columbia River Basin was once the greatest salmon-producing river system in the world. But all remaining salmon on its largest tributary, the Snake River, are now facing extinction. Four aging dams in Washington—Ice Harbor, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, Lower Granite

—block passage along the lower Snake River, a major migration corridor linking pristine cold-water streams in central Idaho to the mighty Columbia River and out to the Pacific Ocean. Scientists say restoring the lower Snake River by taking out these four dams is the single best thing we can do to save the salmon.

Migrating past these dams is a killing field for salmon and steelhead and rising water temperatures caused by the slackwater reservoirs make the passage increasingly deadly. In 2015, some of the earliest and hottest weather on record produced warm river temperatures that killed more than 90% of all adult sockeye salmon returning to the Columbia Basin. In years since, state agencies have had to limit or cancel entire fishing seasons to protect the dwindling fish. This summer with its record-setting heat was a sharp reminder of the increasing potential advancing climate change poses for another generational disaster for Snake River salmon.

The case that all parties agreed to pause today challenged the most recent plan for dam operations issued by the Trump administration in late 2020. That plan green-lighted essentially the same operations the courts have consistently rejected for more than two decades and through a half dozen different failed plans.

Some $17 billion in rate-payer and tax-payer dollars has been spent on the multiple inadequate federal efforts to protect salmon under the previous illegal plans and not one species has recovered.

Independent researchers who have studied the economics of restoring a free-flowing lower Snake River and renewable power replacement options favor dam removal. A recent poll of people in Washington found wide support for lower Snake River dam removal with investments in renewable energy, transportation improvements, and irrigation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 23, 2014

Contact:      Steve Mashuda, EarthJustice,  206-343-7340
                  Sam Mace, Save Our Wild Salmon, 509-863-5696

Corps dredging plan evades high taxpayer costs and harm to salmon

Dam removal would be less expensive, say fishing and public-interest advocates

(Spokane WA) Local citizens, fishing groups and conservation organizations called on the Corps of Engineers to provide an honest economic analysis of maintaining the lower Snake River waterway, including expensive dredging. The public comment period on the Corps of Engineers’ Programmatic Sediment Management Plan federal environmental impact statement (FEIS) closed today.   

The Corps dragged its feet for years to honor a settlement with fishing and conservation groups where the agency agreed to develop a long-term plan for addressing the sediment piling up behind the lower Snake River dams.  The final plan fails to honor that commitment.

"The Corps wasted nine years and millions of dollars in an attempt to justify dredging as usual," said Steve Mashuda, staff attorney with EarthJustice.  “And even then the Corps ignored evidence showing that continued dredging costs taxpayers more than it returns in benefits and harms our salmon.  Few problems can be solved by digging the hole deeper, and yet the Corps failed to consider or adopt any other alternatives -- including dam removal -- to continued dredging."
 
Container shipping on the lower Snake River has declined more than 70 percent during the past decade.  Today barge traffic on the lower Snake waterway contributes only 4 percent of all shipping on the Columbia and Snake Rivers combined.  Yet the Corps is proposing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on a sediment plan focused on the interests of the Port of Lewiston and barge users.  

“In an era of shrinking federal budgets, we can’t afford to continue wasting millions on the lower Snake – especially when scarce infrastructure dollars are required on the far more valuable lower Columbia River waterway,” said Sam Mace, Inland Northwest Director for Save Our Wild Salmon.

Read the submitted comments Final_PSMP_FEIS_comments_3.pdf.

# # #

Download as PDF

HUGE VICTORY

Fishing, conservation groups call for solutions table on salmon crisis

PORTLAND, Ore. — U.S. District Court Judge James Redden ruled today that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service failed for the third time in ten years to produce a legal and scientifically adequate plan to protect imperiled Columbia-Snake River salmon from extinction. The harm to these species has been largely caused by operation of the federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Today’s court action is a watershed moment for fishing and conservation groups, the state of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the Spokane Tribe, all of which opposed the federal biological opinion, or BiOp, in court.

In deciding the case, the court wrote, “The history of the Federal Defendant’s lack of, or at best, marginal compliance with the procedural and substantive requirements of the ESA . . . has been laid out in prior Opinions and Orders in this case and is repeated here only where relevant.”  The court went on call the federal defendants’ plan “neither a reasonable, nor a prudent, course of action.”

“Today is a victory for the nation,” said Trip Van Noppen, President of Earthjustice, the public interest law firm that represented fishing and conservation groups in the case.  “But the work has only just begun.  In the wake of the worst recession the nation has experienced since the Great Depression, there’s a simple path forward that would create thousands of jobs for a small investment.  Taking out the four dams that strangle the lower Snake River would bring millions of dollars from restored salmon runs to communities from coastal California to Alaska and inland to Idaho.  Let’s reject the path that continues wasting money on failed salmon technical fixes and embrace a solution that could set an example for the rest of the nation.”

This is the third time Judge Redden has found a BiOp for the Columbia-Snake Basin inadequate and illegal. Today, salmon populations are critically low, lingering near just 1 percent of their historic levels.

In finding the current plan’s heavy reliance on unidentified and uncertain habitat actions illegal, the court wrote: “Coupled with the significant uncertainty surrounding the reliability of NOAA Fisheries' habitat methodologies, the evidence that habitat actions are falling behind schedule, and that benefits are not accruing as promised, NOAA Fisheries' approach to these issues is neither cautious nor rational.”

Click here to read the full text of Judge Redden's ruling.

“The judge’s decision is a victory for wildlife, taxpayers, and the fishing industry,” said John Kostyack, Executive Director, Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming, National Wildlife Federation. “Protecting Columbia-Snake River salmon protects fishing jobs, saves taxpayers billions of dollars, and helps preserve the outdoor heritage of the Northwest.”  

Among those hit hardest by the Columbia-Snake salmon crisis are commercial, sport, recreational and tribal fishermen. Repeated fishery closures and cutbacks in recent years have harmed river and coastal family businesses and livelihoods, and fishing groups have been at the forefront of this legal battle for decades.

“Now is the time for the Obama Administration to walk the talk on real salmon solutions,” said Zeke Grader, Executive Director of Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA). “As this ruling highlights, the federal government has spent nearly 20 years spending enormous sums of money foolishly by doing all the wrong stuff.  Facing the problem squarely, including potential removal of the four fish-killing dams on the lower Snake River, will create many thousands more jobs, revive the fishing industry, save billions of dollars for taxpayers, and lead in the development of clean, renewable, more efficient energy.  What we need most now is for this Administration to lead us to those solutions, not just bury its head in the sand in denial as has so often happened in the past."

Endangered Snake River salmon and steelhead tackle a migration like no other salmon on earth. Some swim more than 900 miles and climb almost 7,000 feet to reach their spawning grounds — scaling eight dams along the way. In addition to the amazing journey these fish make, their likelihood of surviving the coming changes from global warming makes their protection and restoration all the more urgent, and makes the BiOp’s failure to adequately address climate change all the more distressing.

“We applaud the court for keeping a solid eye on the science and the law,” said Sierra Club Executive Director, Michael Brune.  “The cool, high elevation wilderness watersheds of Central Idaho, Southeast Washington, and Northeast Oregon are a virtual Noah’s Ark for salmon and steelhead in a climate changing world.”

Zeke Grader, PCFFA, zgrader@ifrfish.org - (415) 606-5140
John McManus, Earthjustice, jmcmanus@earthjustice.org  - (650) 218-8650
Virginia Cramer, Sierra Club, virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org - (804) 225-9113 x102
John Kostyack, National Wildlife Federation, Kostyack@nwf.org - (202) 797-6879
Amy Baird, Save Our Wild Salmon, amy@wildsalmon.org - (503) 230-0421 ext. 13 or (360) 770-6720 (cell)

Plaintiffs seek steps to get on track

Portland, OR. – Today, in an ongoing battle to save wild salmon, a coalition of fishing and conservation groups filed papers in federal court asking U.S. District Court Judge James Redden to ensure federal agencies take actions needed to protect salmon and steelhead in the Columbia-Snake River Basin. In early August, Judge Redden told the federal agencies that their existing salmon plan was illegal under the Endangered Species Act. Now, fishing and conservation groups are concerned that federal agencies are ignoring the need to significantly revamp the plan.

“It’s simple: the judge told the federal agencies that they were off-track with their last salmon plan, but everything coming from the federal agencies seems to suggest that they didn’t get the message, “ said Liz Hamilton of Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association.  “In order to fix a problem, you have to admit one exists, and the federal agencies sure aren’t admitting to the problems in the current plan.”

The fishing and conservation groups are seeking two steps to facilitate needed policy changes for endangered salmon. To prevent any more time from being wasted, the groups are asking the Court to appoint a settlement judge to work with the plaintiffs and defendants to agree on an approach to the revised plan due by 2014.  The groups are also asking for an independent scientific review process to evaluate what, if any, progress on protecting these salmon has occurred since the current plan was implemented.

The request comes in response to the annual “progress report” federal agencies recently submitted to the court, as required.  Fishing businesses and conservation groups found the federal “progress report” lacking in specifics and transparency.  In their papers filed with the federal court today, plaintiffs are asserting that the ”progress report” is misleading and that, “This kind of salesmanship ultimately will serve no one well, least of all the ESA-listed salmon and steelhead that are at the heart of this controversy.”

Plaintiffs’ comments in response illustrate that the federal agencies are behind schedule on implementing salmon restoration actions, that the actions the federal agencies have implemented have not achieved the survival benefits promised, and that as a result salmon are in deeper trouble than the “progress report” implies.

“The regional federal agencies remain dedicated to the status quo, despite the Court’s strongly-worded rejection of the current plan and a chorus of calls for a new approach.  This process needs an overhaul.  Three plans from three different administrations have been rejected and we’re still not making real progress,” says Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations.  “It is high time to get the plaintiffs and the federal defendants to a table so that we can make progress, create an agreed upon settlement, and bring back salmon and our jobs.”

Full text of the comments submitted is available.

Contact:    
Steve Mashuda, Earthjustice: (206) 343-7340 ext. 1027 or (206) 715-4912 (cell)
Liz Hamilton, NSIA: (503) 704-1772
Glen Spain, PCFFA: (541) 689-2000

January 17, 2014

Contact: Gilly Lyons, Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition: (503) 975-3202

Federal agencies squander chance for progress on Northwest salmon

Another rehash of court-rejected plan omits meaningful salmon protections, undermines path out of the courtroom

Portland, Ore. – Today, the Obama administration’s NOAA Fisheries released a plan for endangered Columbia and Snake River salmon that fails to address the issues that triggered federal-court rejection of three previous plans. The latest plan, called a biological opinion, risks continued legal battles just as momentum is building in the Northwest for a broadly supported solutions process.

“Unfortunately, this latest blueprint is virtually indistinguishable from the plan rejected by the district court in 2011," said Save Our Wild Salmon executive director Joseph Bogaard. “Rather than looking for ways to do more to safeguard imperiled salmon and bring people together, the federal agencies have spent the last two years coming up with new reasons for the same tired conclusions – choosing conflict over collaboration.”

Conservation and fishing groups, along with the State of Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe, have successfully challenged previous salmon plans for failing to protect these treasured and invaluable Northwest icons. The groups expressed disappointment with the new plan, and the missed opportunity to change course for the salmon and people of the Columbia Basin.

“Today’s plan fails to help salmon or boost salmon jobs, and fails to lay the foundation for a broadly-supported stakeholder process that could work toward shared solutions,” said Glen Spain, Northwest regional director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “And in some respects, such as cutting back spill, this version is actually a step backwards from what's already been thrown out of court as ‘illegal, arbitrary and capricious.’”

The federal plan not only squanders a chance to move the region forward, it also rolls back spill – water released over the dams to help migrating young salmon reach the Pacific Ocean more safely. A basic level of spill has been in place under court order since 2006. Federal, state, and tribal scientists studying the impacts of existing spill have concluded it is boosting salmon survival and adult returns. These same scientists predict that expanding spill could help recover some Columbia Basin salmon stocks. But instead of looking for ways to test that finding, NOAA Fisheries has ignored sound science and allowed dam operators to cut current spill to even lower levels.

“A 17-year study demonstrates that spill is our most effective immediate measure to increase salmon survival across their life-cycle,” said Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association executive director Liz Hamilton. “The court-ordered spill in place since 2006 has resulted in more adult fish returning to the Columbia. That’s helped salmon businesses and the jobs they support. Meanwhile, NOAA and Bonneville Power Administration seem to be stuck in the 1990s when it comes to spill science. We can understand dam managers’ reluctance to share the river water with salmon, but that doesn’t excuse their effort to turn back the clock and ignore 17 years of data from the fish.”

The plan also fails to identify any new or additional measures to address the intensifying impacts of climate change. “Climate change isn’t a future threat on the distant horizon – it’s already here and harming our imperiled salmon,” said Bogaard of Save Our Wild Salmon. “Yet NOAA – an agency that certainly knows better – didn’t include a single additional new action to help salmon better survive the warming waters and altered river flows that climate change is bringing to the Columbia Basin. That’s more than a missed opportunity – it’s negligence.”

Bill Arthur, deputy national field director for the Sierra Club, added that the federal government appears to be taking very seriously its obligations to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

“I’m all in favor of recycling, but this salmon plan takes the idea one step too far,” Arthur said. “The federal agencies have reduced in-river protections for salmon, reused flawed analyses that fail to ensure the long-term recovery of our fish, and recycled an old plan that the courts rejected more than two years ago. Rather than repackaging a failed plan and hoping for a different outcome, NOAA Fisheries should test expanded spill and employ other effective measures to help salmon and salmon economies while giving regional collaboration a running start - to help the Northwest move away from gridlock and toward real solutions that work.”

-30-

For more information contact:

Steve Mashuda, EarthJustice, 206-343-7340x1027
Joseph Bogaard, Save Our Wild Salmon, 206-300-1003
Kevin Lewis, Idaho Rivers United, 208-343-7481
Gary Macfarlane, Friends of the Clearwater, 208-882-9755

Nov. 24, 2014

SEATTLE -- Today Northwest fishing and conservation groups joined with the Nez Perce Tribe in taking legal action against costly, illegal dredging on the lower Snake River aimed at propping up an outdated, environmentally destructive, money-losing waterway.

Non-profit environmental law firm Earthjustice, representing Idaho Rivers United, Pacific Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Institute of Fisheries Resources, Washington Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club and Friends of the Clearwater, filed a complaint with Seattle’s U.S. District Court challenging the Corps’ approval of a $6.7 million lower Snake River dredging project scheduled to begin next month.
.
Dredging behind lower Granite Dam is the centerpiece of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla district’s ill-advised plan for maintaining the little-used barging corridor between Pasco, Wash., and Lewiston, Idaho. Though shipping on the Columbia River waterway remains robust, traffic on the lower Snake is so low that it qualifies for the Corps’ own “negligible use” project category.

The Corps’ Walla Walla District released its draft sediment management plan two years ago, asserting that dredging would provide $25 million in benefits but offering no supporting economic analysis.

Fishing and conservation groups and the Nez Perce Tribe have challenged the Corps plan because it puts salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey at serious risk, purposefully dodges any real look at alternatives to dredging, and ignores the shaky economic justification for the barge corridor created by the four lower Snake River dams.

Despite thousands of comments noting the plan’s glaring errors and omissions, the Corps last week issued a record of decision adopting the plan. The agency immediately signed a contract with a dredging contractor to begin work December 15.

“The lower Snake waterway exacts an enormous price from taxpayers as well as from wild salmon, steelhead, and Pacific Lamprey”, said Earthjustice attorney Steve Mashuda. “The Corps has failed to look at any alternatives to dredging this winter, and fails to provide an honest assessment of the fiscal and environmental costs involved in shoring up this out-of-date waterway.”

“These four dams are responsible for pushing the Snake River’s wild salmon and steelhead to the edge of extinction.” said SOS executive director Joseph Bogaard. “Climate change and other factors are making the lower Snake River dams ever more deadly to migrating fish while the economic justification for this waterway is slipping away.”

Over the past 15 years, the lower Snake waterway’s freight volume has declined 64 percent as farmers and other shippers move their products to trucks or rail. Maintenance expenses, meanwhile, have surged. Lewiston faces a chronic crisis of sedimentation and U.S. taxpayers now effectively subsidize every barge leaving Lewiston to the tune of about $18,000.

Navigation is the primary purpose of these dams.  They generate significant power primarily in the spring, when power demand and prices are low and the Northwest is awash in hydropower—so much so that wind farms are often forced to shut down.  

“Every year, the federal government spends increasing amounts of tax dollars to prop up four obsolete dams on the lower Snake River,” said IRU Conservation Director Kevin Lewis. “Our specific claims include violations of the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Clean Water Act.”

“This boondoggle is yet another example of how more and more tax dollars are spent to prop up the four outdated dams on the lower Snake River,” said Gary MacFarlane of Friends of the Clearwater.  “Little thought has been given to the long-term economic and environmental consequences of long-term dredging.”

Read filing here.  Read coalition comments on Corps FEIS here.

# # #

Taxpayer groups, fishermen, businesses, clean energy advocates and conservation organizations applaud bi-partisan legislation - H.R. 2111

WASHINGTON— Today, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), joined by 10 additional co-sponsors from across the nation, introduced the Salmon Solutions and Planning Act (H.R. 2111) in the House of Representatives. If passed, the bill would provide Congress and federal agencies with up-to-date, thorough information about how best to protect and restore wild salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia and Snake River Basin while also supporting local communities and saving taxpayer dollars. Download the fact sheet.

Rep. McDermott called for an approach that puts all restoration options for Columbia and Snake River salmon on the table, including an analysis of lower Snake River dam removal. Rep. McDermott stated, “The time to act is now. Billions of public and private dollars have been spent on failed recovery projects that put politics over sound science.  Failing to act would further jeopardize our struggling salmon populations that provide thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefit for the nation.  We must work together to create an innovative restoration strategy that saves this national treasure.”

H.R. 2111’s main purpose is to chart an effective and efficient course to restore salmon based on the best available science. The bill calls for the protection and recovery of Columbia and Snake River salmon populations to self-sustaining and harvestable levels. It also aims to address the need for development of renewable energy and an improved freight transportation system.

"More salmon mean more jobs, for multiple industries, including both commercial and recreational fishing,” said Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA). "Tens of thousands of fishing jobs have been put in jeopardy by doing the wrong things over and over in the Columbia Basin. This bill would help everyone chart a science-based pathway out of two decades of Columbia River chaos and conflict."

H.R. 2111’s introduction comes at a critical juncture for Columbia and Snake River salmon. The Obama Administration to date has echoed the previous administration’s failed salmon policies, and wild salmon numbers remain dangerously low, with most populations hovering at about 2% of historic levels.

Many in the Northwest, including former and current governors and senators, have called on the administration to convene a salmon solutions table that brings together key stakeholders to discuss all scientifically-credible options to help recover endangered salmon, and enhance the region’s economy while saving taxpayer dollars. The studies authorized in H.R. 2111 would provide information needed to make such stakeholder discussions even more successful.

"The current efforts have been extraordinarily expensive for the taxpayer and are still failing to turn around the populations of these wild salmon,” said Rep. Petri.  “Given the deficits our country is facing, it's time to take a fresh look at which approaches will be both fiscally sustainable and will ensure that the wild salmon of this region are able to survive and thrive for future generations."

The bill’s introduction occurs as parties await a court ruling by U.S. District Court Judge James Redden regarding the legality of the Obama administration’s salmon plan for the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

Contact:Amy Baird, Communications Director, Save Our Wild Salmon
(503) 230-0421, ext. 13, media@wildsalmon.org
Glen Spain, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
(541) 689-2000, FISH1IFR@aol.com

Taxpayer groups, fishermen, businesses, clean energy advocates and conservation organizations applaud bi-partisan legislation - H.R. 2111

WASHINGTON— Today, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), joined by 10 additional co-sponsors from across the nation, introduced the Salmon Solutions and Planning Act (H.R. 2111) in the House of Representatives. If passed, the bill would provide Congress and federal agencies with up-to-date, thorough information about how best to protect and restore wild salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia and Snake River Basin while also supporting local communities and saving taxpayer dollars. Download the fact sheet or read the background here.

Rep. McDermott called for an approach that puts all restoration options for Columbia and Snake River salmon on the table, including an analysis of lower Snake River dam removal. Rep. McDermott stated, “The time to act is now. Billions of public and private dollars have been spent on failed recovery projects that put politics over sound science.  Failing to act would further jeopardize our struggling salmon populations that provide thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefit for the nation.  We must work together to create an innovative restoration strategy that saves this national treasure.”

H.R. 2111’s main purpose is to chart an effective and efficient course to restore salmon based on the best available science. The bill calls for the protection and recovery of Columbia and Snake River salmon populations to self-sustaining and harvestable levels. It also aims to address the need for development of renewable energy and an improved freight transportation system.

"More salmon mean more jobs, for multiple industries, including both commercial and recreational fishing,” said Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA). "Tens of thousands of fishing jobs have been put in jeopardy by doing the wrong things over and over in the Columbia Basin. This bill would help everyone chart a science-based pathway out of two decades of Columbia River chaos and conflict."

H.R. 2111’s introduction comes at a critical juncture for Columbia and Snake River salmon. The Obama Administration to date has echoed the previous administration’s failed salmon policies, and wild salmon numbers remain dangerously low, with most populations hovering at about 2% of historic levels.

Many in the Northwest, including former and current governors and senators, have called on the administration to convene a salmon solutions table that brings together key stakeholders to discuss all scientifically-credible options to help recover endangered salmon, and enhance the region’s economy while saving taxpayer dollars. The studies authorized in H.R. 2111 would provide information needed to make such stakeholder discussions even more successful.

"The current efforts have been extraordinarily expensive for the taxpayer and are still failing to turn around the populations of these wild salmon,” said Rep. Petri.  “Given the deficits our country is facing, it's time to take a fresh look at which approaches will be both fiscally sustainable and will ensure that the wild salmon of this region are able to survive and thrive for future generations."

The bill’s introduction occurs as parties await a court ruling by U.S. District Court Judge James Redden regarding the legality of the Obama administration’s salmon plan for the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

Contact:Amy Baird, Communications Director, Save Our Wild Salmon
(503) 230-0421, ext. 13, media@wildsalmon.org
Glen Spain, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
(541) 689-2000, FISH1IFR@aol.com

Taxpayer groups, fishermen, businesses, clean energy advocates and conservation organizations applaud bi-partisan legislation - H.R. 2111

WASHINGTON— Today, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), joined by 10 additional co-sponsors from across the nation, introduced the Salmon Solutions and Planning Act (H.R. 2111) in the House of Representatives. If passed, the bill would provide Congress and federal agencies with up-to-date, thorough information about how best to protect and restore wild salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia and Snake River Basin while also supporting local communities and saving taxpayer dollars. Download the fact sheet.

Rep. McDermott called for an approach that puts all restoration options for Columbia and Snake River salmon on the table, including an analysis of lower Snake River dam removal. Rep. McDermott stated, “The time to act is now. Billions of public and private dollars have been spent on failed recovery projects that put politics over sound science.  Failing to act would further jeopardize our struggling salmon populations that provide thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefit for the nation.  We must work together to create an innovative restoration strategy that saves this national treasure.”

H.R. 2111’s main purpose is to chart an effective and efficient course to restore salmon based on the best available science. The bill calls for the protection and recovery of Columbia and Snake River salmon populations to self-sustaining and harvestable levels. It also aims to address the need for development of renewable energy and an improved freight transportation system.

"More salmon mean more jobs, for multiple industries, including both commercial and recreational fishing,” said Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA). "Tens of thousands of fishing jobs have been put in jeopardy by doing the wrong things over and over in the Columbia Basin. This bill would help everyone chart a science-based pathway out of two decades of Columbia River chaos and conflict."

H.R. 2111’s introduction comes at a critical juncture for Columbia and Snake River salmon. The Obama Administration to date has echoed the previous administration’s failed salmon policies, and wild salmon numbers remain dangerously low, with most populations hovering at about 2% of historic levels.

Many in the Northwest, including former and current governors and senators, have called on the administration to convene a salmon solutions table that brings together key stakeholders to discuss all scientifically-credible options to help recover endangered salmon, and enhance the region’s economy while saving taxpayer dollars. The studies authorized in H.R. 2111 would provide information needed to make such stakeholder discussions even more successful.

"The current efforts have been extraordinarily expensive for the taxpayer and are still failing to turn around the populations of these wild salmon,” said Rep. Petri.  “Given the deficits our country is facing, it's time to take a fresh look at which approaches will be both fiscally sustainable and will ensure that the wild salmon of this region are able to survive and thrive for future generations."

The bill’s introduction occurs as parties await a court ruling by U.S. District Court Judge James Redden regarding the legality of the Obama administration’s salmon plan for the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

Contact:
Amy Baird, Communications Director, Save Our Wild Salmon
(503) 230-0421, ext. 13, media@wildsalmon.org
Glen Spain, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations
(541) 689-2000, FISH1IFR@aol.com

Oct 22 2021

(Seattle, WA) – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Washington state Governor Jay Inslee issued the following joint statement on next steps for a joint federal-state process on salmon recovery in the Columbia River Basin and the Pacific Northwest.

“Saving our salmon is absolutely essential to Washington 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. We also stated that we are ready to do our part to promptly achieve a solution.

“Today we are announcing a joint federal-state process to determine whether there are reasonable means for 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. Both of us believe that, for the region to move forward, the time has come to identify specific details for how the impacts of breach can, or cannot, be mitigated.

“We recognize the urgency of tackling this longstanding challenge as salmon runs continue to decline. Our recommendations will be completed by no later than July 31, 2022.

“We will not start this process from scratch—we will build on the important data and previously conducted research on these topics to help guide the process. Between now and July, we will also engage in robust outreach to communities across the Pacific Northwest to solicit their views as part of this process. This will include close consultation and advisement by treaty-protected Tribes whose unique perspectives and sovereignty each of us deeply appreciates. We intend to consult with individuals and groups with a wide range of views on the question of dam breaching to ensure the needs of the entire region are addressed.

“As Senator Murray and Governor Inslee conduct the joint federal-state process in Washington state, in order to keep all options on the table in good faith, Senator Murray will work in the other Washington to ensure key elements of a salmon recovery strategy are included as part of any Army Corps of Engineers strategy in the FY2022 Water Resources Development Act, including possible expert analysis by federal agencies of breaching as part of a solution.

“Without this critical step, options that may be essential to salmon restoration could be excluded from the most timely and viable federal legislative vehicle.

“Every community in the Pacific Northwest knows the value and importance of our iconic salmon runs—the time is now to take decisive action. We look forward to working with every community from every part of the Pacific Northwest and those on both sides of the aisle to finally establish a regional path forward to save the salmon.”

The Water Resources Development Act is a biennial bill which serves as the primary authorizing legislation for civil works projects and programs carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Senator Murray will work to secure in the 2022 Water Resources Development Act an authorization of an analysis of the four Lower Snake River dam projects that will evaluate the costs and impacts of breach alongside other options. As Governor Inslee and Senator Murray work to provide recommendations for a salmon recovery strategy, this legislative action will importantly ensure that breaching remains on the table: historically, work on any Army Corps of Engineers projects, including dams, has been preceded by a study. If Senator Murray does not pursue action as part of this Water Resources Development Act cycle, the next opportunity to authorize such an analysis would be in 2024. Such an analysis is necessary to pursue an authorization for further action with the dams, potentially including breach, to be included in a future Water Resources Development Act.

The Joint Federal-State Process is the mechanism that Senator Murray and Governor Inslee will utilize to inform their recommendation on whether the Lower Snake River Dams should be breached or retained. Consultant and expert support will be retained by the Governor’s Office to help synthesize existing information regarding what is known about options to replace the benefits of the dams, if removed, and what remains unknown. This assessment will be reviewed with Tribal governments, river users and communities, and other affected groups representing a range of views regarding the four Lower Snake River Dams. The Governor and Senator will, as appropriate, conduct Tribal consultation and meet with parties representing a range of views regarding the four Lower Snake River Dams. Formal mechanisms for the public to submit written comment on the topic will be detailed at a future date. At the conclusion of the Joint Federal-State Process in July 2022, the Governor and Senator will present their recommendations, and engage with relevant parties on next steps.

https://www.murray.senate.gov/joint-statement-from-senator-murray-and-governor-inslee-on-establishing-a-joint-federal-state-process-on-snake-river-salmon-recovery/

The time is ripe for solutions for salmon, energy, communities

 
Washington — Four dams on the lower Snake River are driving salmon to the brink of extinction while preventing the Northwest from embracing 21st century energy and transportation opportunities. This threat landed the lower Snake in the number three spot in America’s Most Endangered Rivers: 2009 edition. 

Building bright, clean-energy future will create jobs, spur economy 

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) announced today that is has finalized a Record of Decision, essentially blocking Northwest wind power projects’ access to federal transmission lines at certain times. The BPA plan unilaterally changes wind generators’ contracts without compensation, harming the booming alternative energy industry and shortchanging endangered salmon populations on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

BPA is using salmon as an excuse to shut off wind energy production in the region when river flow levels are too high. The agency claims that legal protections for salmon and overgeneration of wind and hydropower are forcing it to turn off wind power production while continuing hydropower generation.

While overgeneration situations do occur, the supposed legal constraints on BPA are largely self-created and self-imposed. Salmon aren’t forcing BPA to order reduced spill and thus more hydro production at the expense of wind generation; it’s the total dissolved gas (TDG) limits for the Columbia and Snake rivers. Currently, BPA follows Washington state’s spill standard, which allows a maximum dissolved gas level of 115%. If Washington adopted or federal agencies implemented Oregon’s standard, allowable dissolved gas levels would increase to 120%. This shift could allow more spill and help avoid curtailing wind energy. It would also benefit salmon and steelhead by easing their migration past these dams.

Last week, U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Steven Chu addressing current issues with BPA and its approach to wind energy production and water spill levels in the Columbia and Snake rivers. In his letter, Rep. Markey writes that he is aware that changes in power systems will present new challenges to energy managers. However, he asks that BPA utilize resources such as the Department of Energy to create sound policies, rather than just shutting off wind.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) also sent letter to BPA recently, asking it to reconsider its Record of Decision and expressing their concern that it would “cause significant problems for renewable energy development in our region.”  Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) sent his own letter stating, that BPA’s ROD “would create enormous uncertainty in the developing renewables marketplace . . .”

Says Save Our Wild Salmon Policy and Legal Director Nicole Cordan: “It’s time for BPA to stop putting its hydro operations and revenue above the needs of the Northwest, both for the sake of our salmon and for the benefit of the renewable energy industry.”

NW Energy Coalition Executive Director Sara Patton agreed: “To suggest that developing clean, renewable wind power and saving endangered salmon are somehow at odds is absurd.  We know we can build a healthier and more prosperous Northwest while combating climate change and protecting wild salmon; shutting off access to wind power is not the way forward … for any of us.”

Contact:

Nicole Cordan, Policy and Legal Director, Save Our Wild Salmon

(503) 703-3733, nicole@wildsalmon.org

Marc Krasnowsky, Communications Director, NW Energy Coalition

(425) 281-0668, marc@nwenergy.org

October 21, 2021

Lapwai, Idaho — Today the Nez Perce Tribe (Tribe) joined the State of Oregon and conservation and fishing group plaintiffs, together with the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Agencies, in asking the Oregon Federal District Court to stay Columbia Power System litigation through July 31, 2022, in order to allow for discussion of comprehensive litigation solutions. The stay is based on a short-term agreement filed with the Court that sets 2022 hydropower measures that compromise the preliminary injunction measures requested by Oregon and the conservation plaintiffs, and supported by the Tribe, that are pending before the Court. “Salmon and steelhead are at a crisis. Short-term measures are not the answer. We all know that. But this temporary compromise, which provides incremental benefits for fish, will have been a critical turning point if it enables a comprehensive resolution that prevents the extinction of salmon and steelhead populations – which is clearly on the horizon,” said Nez Perce Tribe Chairman, Samuel N. Penney. “Visionary action to save our salmon and honor our treaties is urgently needed. We need the United States Government to comprehend the situation and act. The science is clear: salmon and steelhead need a free-flowing, climate-resilient Lower Snake River, not a series of slow, easily-warmed reservoirs. The Nez Perce Tribe and its people intend to ensure that salmon do not go extinct on our watch.” After nearly 30 years of failed federal salmon plans, Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon are closer to extinction than ever. The most recent analysis indicates that 42% of the populations of Snake River spring/summer Chinook are now at or below the “quasi-extinction” level of 50 or fewer spawners on spawning grounds for four consecutive years. By 2025, 77% of those populations are projected to hit that functional extinction level.

“We will continue to speak the truth about what the salmon need, and this is a moment of tribal unity in the Northwest and across the nation,” said Nez Perce Tribe Vice-Chairman, Shannon F. Wheeler. “Tribes, maybe more than anyone, understand the moment we face: a salmon crisis, a climate crisis, and a long-overdue opportunity to address 90 years of tribal injustice imposed by the Columbia power system on Indian people and their homelands.” The National Congress of American Indians and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians both adopted formal 2021 Resolutions supporting restoration of the Lower Snake River, and Congressman Mike Simpson’s comprehensive Columbia Basin Initiative. The Resolutions also ask the Biden-Harris Administration to end litigation defense of the prior Administration’s Columbia River System salmon plans as those positions are inconsistent with tribal and environmental justice principles and law.

NWF 0640 PLD Joint Motion to Stay Litigation

NWF 0640 ADR Final Term Sheet

Oct. 22, 2021

COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER
NW ENERGY COALITION
AMERICAN RIVERS
WASHINGTON ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL AND WASHINGTON CONSERVATION VOTERS
IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE
TROUT UNLIMITED
SIERRA CLUB
SAVE OUR WILD SALMON
ENVIRONMENT WASHINGTON
NRDC
ENDANGERED SPECIES COALITION
ASSOCIATION OF NW STEELHEADERS

SEATTLE—Today, Washington Sen. Patty Murray announced she and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will deliver details by July 31 on how to replace the services of the four lower Snake River dams, if those dams are breached to prevent salmon extinction.

That leaves 282 days to develop an action plan for a comprehensive solution to prevent extinction, honor tribal rights and treaties, and support communities that use the dams’ services. A solution must be presented in time for Congress to pass necessary legislation and appropriations to implement it.

The Northwest groups welcomed Sen. Murray’s and Gov. Inslee’s leadership— specifically their emphasis on tribal advisement and their decision not to begin this work from square one. The groups said they looked forward to working with the Senator, Governor, and the Biden Administration, and pledged to hold all accountable for delivering their action plan by the July deadline.

An action plan cannot wait. Salmon, the orca that eat them, and tribes and communities that depend on them cannot wait. Salmon and steelhead populations have been decimated and are continuing decades-long declines. The science on preventing extinction is clear. Salmon and steelhead need free-flowing, cold water, which requires removal of the four lower Snake River dams.

A recent poll showed that widespread majorities of voters in the state support a plan to remove dams on the Snake River to prevent salmon extinction, along with accompanying investment in agriculture, energy, and transportation.

Organizations across the region released the following statements.

We face a stark choice. Do we allow salmon to fade to extinction while cooking in stagnant reservoirs or do we breach the Snake River dams to save the salmon and build truly clean energy? I'm hopeful Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee will make the right choice.
Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director, Columbia Riverkeeper

The region has abundant renewable energy, and customer side resources—including energy efficiency and storage—as evidenced by the response to utility requests for clean energy. Never before have new clean and renewable energy resources been available at our fingertips as they are today. We’re confident that the energy services provided by the lower Snake hydro-projects can be reliably and affordably replaced with effective planning. This announcement launches a significant initiative to identify energy solutions and options for salmon recovery.
Nancy Hirsh, Executive Director, NW Energy Coalition

The loss of salmon is an existential threat to Native Nations, fishers, business owners, economies and communities. Salmon is a critical part of life for people across the state and their survival is directly connected to the survival of the beloved orcas. We must take decisive action immediately to prevent extinction, including removal of dams on the lower Snake River and replacement of their benefits. We welcome Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee for tackling this monumental challenge.
Alyssa Macy, CEO, Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters

Extinction is staring us in the face. It’s now or never for meaningful action to recover the Columbia and Snake basin’s iconic wild salmon and steelhead runs and invest in the region’s future. We welcome Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee’s statements and we urge them and all Northwest leaders to go further. We must heed the calls of Northwest Tribes for immediate investment and action toward a comprehensive solution that includes restoring a free-flowing lower Snake River. Anything short of that fails Tribes, salmon-dependent communities and economies, and this river that is the lifeblood of our region.
Wendy McDermott, Puget Sound-Columbia Basin Director, American Rivers

The pressure on the Snake River dams just hit an all-time high. Gov. Inslee and Sen. Murray have joined forces to take a serious run at replacing the dams’ services. This is a giant step forward for the Tribes that have kept the fish on life support all these years and for all of us who care deeply about justice and living in a rich and climate-resilient Northwest.
Giulia Good Stefani, Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

The time is now for salmon, orca, and Tribal justice. Sen. Murray's short time frame recognizes that this situation is urgent and the time to act is now. Preserving a place in the Water Resources Development Act to deauthorize the dams makes sense, endless study does not.
Justin Hayes, Executive Director, Idaho Conservation League

We are excited by the commitments made by Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee. However in their statement, they referenced a potential opportunity to breach the Lower Snake Dams. This is not a potential opportunity but a necessary action to recover salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River basin.
Chris Hager, Executive Director, Association of NW Steelheaders

Momentum is building toward the inevitable conclusion that there is no way to recover Snake River salmon and steelhead without removing the four lower dams. We welcome the engagement of Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee to help recover salmon and steelhead. Scientists have made it clear that without a free-flowing Snake, these salmon face imminent extinction. Happily, Congressman Mike Simpson has shown that there is a path forward. Building on his groundbreaking work, we can remove these dams, recover salmon populations, make good on our promises to Tribes, and build a stronger economy for the region’s communities.
Chris Wood, President and CEO, Trout Unlimited

The Sierra Club applauds the leadership of Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee. They have stepped forward with a commitment for urgent action to recover endangered salmon, steelhead and salmon-dependent Southern Resident orcas, and the communities and Tribes that cherish and depend on them. A cornerstone of any solution that is effective, legal and respects tribal treaty rights must be restoration of a free-flowing lower Snake River by breaching four lethal dams that are driving our fish and orcas to extinction. Rep. Mike Simpson’s framework has transformed the regional conversation and provides a road map forward. Leadership from Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee is key to advancing and securing a solution that works for all. We call on all Northwest members of Congress, and the Biden administration, to advance their initiative and, working with the Northwest tribes, develop a plan and legislation that can be enacted by mid-2022.
Bill Arthur, Director, Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign, Sierra Club

Conservation and fishing advocates are encouraged by today's statement from Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee—and their commitment to work urgently to develop a comprehensive plan to protect Snake River salmon and steelhead and meet critical needs of Northwest communities. We’re ready to support and participate in this process. We have very little time to act. This year’s salmon returns to the Snake River are some of the lowest on record. Fishing opportunities are being reduced and closed. Restoring the lower Snake River and its fish is not only critical for avoiding extinction, it also represents one of our nation’s great restoration opportunities today. We call on Congress, the Biden Administration and regional stakeholders to work urgently with Northwest tribes to develop a plan that restores the lower Snake River, upholds our nation’s promises and invests in our communities and infrastructure.
Joseph Bogaard, Executive Director, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition

After two decades of steep declines in endangered salmon and orca, we’re encouraged to see Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee putting lower Snake River dam breaching squarely on the table. The science is clear that the incredible southern resident orcas and the salmon they rely on will not recover without breaching all four dams on the lower Snake River. The heat waves the Pacific Northwest experienced this summer are still impacting salmon and orca—we have no time to waste. Therefore, Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee must be focused on developing an action plan to breach the lower Snake River dams that is implementable as soon as possible. Salmon and southern resident orcas are running out of time.
Chris Connolly, Pacific Northwest Field Representative, Endangered Species Coalition

Breaching the four lower Snake River dams is the most effective solution we can choose to save salmon and, in turn, the southern resident orca, from this impending extinction crisis. We applaud Gov. Inslee and Sen. Murray for their leadership and urge them to move as quickly and ambitiously as possible. We are running out of time.
Mandy Apa, Conservation Associate, Environment Washington

Portland, OR – Today, Monday, May 9th, oral arguments were heard in a landmark case by U.S. District Court Judge James Redden. The case reviews the Obama administration’s 2010 federal salmon plan that sets policy on how to operate the federal dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

The plan, also known as a Biological Opinion (BiOp), attempts to address the significant harm the federal dams cause to salmon and steelhead protected by the Endangered Species Act. The actions called for by the 2010 plan are almost indistinguishable from those proposed in the 2004 and 2008 plans.  The 2004 plan was rejected by the court and the 2008 plan was highly criticized, though no final decision was made on that plan. The 2010 plan also rolls back important in-river protections now in place and will cost almost $1 billion per year over the next 10 years.

The actions called for by the plan are almost indistinguishable from previous plans that were rejected by the courts. The plan currently under scrutiny also rolls back important protections now in place and will cost almost $1 billion per year over the next 10 years.

The salmon community has five basic concerns:

(1) The plan rolls back current salmon protections

(2) It sidesteps climate change impacts

(3) The plan ignores the best available salmon science

(4) It uses a faulty legal standard and analytical framework and

(5) The plan offers less protection for more money.

Also, the Oregonian published another in-depth story from Scott Learn on salmon habitat in the Columbia-Snake Basin:

"Habitat restoration soars on Columbia River, but fish benefits are murky."

While the trial is important for the future of endangered Columbia and Snake River salmon species, the case has additional national significance. Says Save our Wild Salmon Policy and Legal Director Nicole Cordan, “These amazing fish are critical to the Northwest’s cultural, ecological, and economic integrity. But in addition, this case acts as a test case for whether we as a nation are serious about protecting imperiled species; whether we as a region are serious about leaving our children and grandchildren with healthy rivers, healthy ecosystems, and healthy economies; because our children deserve no less.”

A summary of the plaintiff’s claims, timeline of the litigation, fact sheets on energy, salmon return statistics and spill, as well as a breakdown on the reality of dam removal for the four lower Snake River dams is available from Save Our Wild Salmon.

For immediate release:  May 4, 2011

- Background factsheet available here -

WASHINGTON -- Today the House Natural Resources Committee’s panel on Water and Power held an oversight hearing on federal hydropower in the West.

The congressional hearing closely precedes the May 9 federal court hearing in Portland, Ore., on the Obama administration’s Biological Opinion setting salmon protection and restoration policy for the Columbia and Snake River Basin, home to more than 200 hydroelectric dams.

House subcommittee chairman Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) alleged that environmental laws might be raising West Coast consumers’ electricity bills. His concern however, flies in the face of definitive studies showing the Northwest can meet its future energy needs, reduce carbon emissions, grow a healthy economy and restore wild salmon -- all while lowering families’ energy bills.

The relevant reports include the NW Energy Coalition’s Bright Future and the scenario modeling appended to 2010’s Sixth Plan produced by the region’s official power planning agency, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

“We know we can build a healthier and more prosperous Northwest while combating climate change and protecting wild salmon,” said NW Energy Coalition executive director Sara Patton. “We have an abundance of bill-reducing energy efficiency opportunities and affordable new, clean renewable resources. Realizing just some of our tremendous clean energy potential will create good, local family-wage jobs and save consumers money.”

Save Our Wild Salmon policy and legal director, Nicole Cordan said the public-interest community is asking Congress and the Obama administration for simple balance when addressing Northwest hydropower.  

“With more than 200 large dams in the Columbia-Snake River Basin, surely letting go of the four on the lower Snake River is a balanced approach,” Cordan said. “By removing these four dams, we can set an example for the rest of the nation by leading the way in renewable energy, while at the same time increasing jobs, building healthy economies, and protecting a precious national treasure: Pacific Northwest salmon.”

Contact:
Amy Baird, Save Our Wild Salmon: (503) 230-0421, ext. 13
Marc Krasnowsky, NW Energy Coalition: (206) 621-0094

Washington State, Oregon Lawmakers Press Trump Administration to Extend Columbia River System Environmental Impact Statement Comment Period as Nation Works to Address Coronavirus Pandemic

In a new letter, a group of Washington state and Oregon lawmakers urged the Council on Environmental Quality to extend the initial 45-day comment period for the draft environmental impact statement regarding the Columbia River System

The request for an extension comes as the COVID-19 pandemic grips the Pacific Northwest region, demanding the full attention and resources of local and state governments

The lawmakers pushed for an extension of the comment period until after the public health emergency is over to allow accessible, in person public comment

Lawmakers: “The current crisis cannot plausibly provide for an environment conducive to robust public comment”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate health committee, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), as well as U.S. Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA, 9^th), Rick Larsen (D-WA, 2^nd), Derek Kilmer (D-WA, 6^th), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR, 1^st), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR, 3^rd), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA, 1^st), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA, 7^th), Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA, 8^th), and Denny Heck (D-WA, 10^th), sent a letter to Council on Environmental Quality Chair Mary Neumayr requesting an extension of the 45 day public comment period currently underway for the Columbia River System draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). In observance of public health guidance, and in light of the social disruption caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic and the federal, state, and local government attention it requires, the lawmakers pressed to extend the deadline for public comment until at least 30 days after the federal public health emergency is over.

“Given the unique nature of this crisis, it is paramount that all of our national resources and energies be focused on effecting a comprehensive response,” the lawmakers wrote. “The current crisis cannot plausibly provide for an environment conducive to robust public comment. Public feedback should be solicited in an accessible manner and, crucially, in-person, so that the citizens who stand to be affected most directly can make their voices heard to the officials charged with making these decisions.”

The lawmakers continued: “Accordingly, we request the extension of this comment period until no sooner than 30 days after the conclusion of the public health emergency as declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.”

The Columbia River System draft EIS was originally released on February 28, 2020 with a 45 day public comment period. Public feedback is a crucial aspect of the federal rulemaking process, and considering the profound impact that the Columbia River System has on the region and its many diverse inhabitants, it is vital the public has a chance to voice their thoughts and opinions before any action is decided upon—options which are currently virtually impossible due to efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Read full letter below or HERE.

.

.

March 30, 2020

The Honorable Mary Neumayr, Chair

Council on Environmental Quality

730 Jackson Place N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20506

Dear Madam Chair:

We write to request an extension of the 45-day public comment period currently underway for the Federal Register notice entitled EIS No. 20200052, Draft, BR, BPA, USACE, OR, Columbia River System Operations. Due to the ongoing 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic—and the specific toll that it is taking on the Pacific Northwest—it is our concern that this important matter cannot receive the thoughtful consideration that it requires under these circumstances.

Given the unique nature of this crisis, it is paramount that all of our national resources and energies be focused on effecting a comprehensive response. The current crisis cannot plausibly provide for an environment conducive to robust public comment. Public feedback should be solicited in an accessible manner and, crucially, in-person, so that the citizens who stand to be affected most directly can make their voices heard to the officials charged with making these decisions. Accordingly, we request the extension of this comment period until no sooner than 30 days after the conclusion of the public health emergency as declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act are clear: agencies must incorporate the feedback from public comments into final rules, including in instances when the rules stand to have significant and long-term environmental impacts. The Columbia River System is a vital resource to the region, and a diverse array of stakeholders are counting on this specific environmental impact statement to bring a degree of finality and certainty to these issues. This can only be accomplished through a transparent public comment process that includes public meetings. This is an issue not of ideology, but one of public safety and full faith in institutions to be responsive to the most pressing matters.

We stand ready to work with the Administration to expeditiously extend the comment period or have the public comment period reopened once this national crisis has been addressed. In this moment, our collective energies are best served working to hasten that moment.

Thank you for your swift consideration of this pressing matter.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)

U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

U.S. Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA, 9^th)

Rick Larsen (D-WA, 2^nd)

Derek Kilmer (D-WA, 6^th)

Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR, 1^st)

Earl Blumenauer (D-OR, 3^rd)

Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA, 1^st)

Pramila Jayapal (D-WA, 7^th)

Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA, 8^th)

Denny Heck (D-WA, 10^th)

###

Groups file injunction request for stop-gap measure to aid struggling salmon, steelhead

July 16, 2021

Portland, OR – The record-shattering heat wave in the Pacific Northwest has added a new level of urgency for fishing and conservation groups who returned to court today seeking more spill from dams on the lower Snake and Columbia Rivers to aid the migration of endangered salmon and steelhead.

Earthjustice, on behalf of a coalition of fishing and conservation groups, is seeking more water to be released starting next spring to help endangered salmon populations navigate a series of dams in the Columbia and Snake River basins. Increasing spill helps flush juvenile fish along their perilous river migration to reach the ocean where they mature. The groups are also seeking lowered reservoir levels to help speed fish migration through reservoirs that are routinely too hot. The groups together acknowledge this court-action is an emergency stop-gap measure and not enough alone to prevent the trend of these fish toward extinction.

In this case, Earthjustice represents American Rivers, Idaho Rivers United, Institute for Fisheries Resources, NW Energy Coalition, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Columbia Riverkeeper, Idaho Conservation League and Fly Fishers International. The State of Oregon also filed a parallel motion for injunctive relief today and the Nez Perce Tribe is supporting these motions.

Statements from lawyers and plaintiffs:

“Right now we’re back in court asking for another stop-gap measure to slow the trend toward extinction of these fish,” said Todd True, Earthjustice attorney. “The Endangered Species Act is a critical safety net for these fish in the courts. But what we need to stop this extinction crisis in our backyards is leadership from the Biden administration, our senators, and members of Congress to quickly build on the work of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and the Nez Perce Tribe, and efforts already underway by Idaho Rep. Simpson, Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer, and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.”

“We deserve better,” said Liz Hamilton, Executive Director, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association. “Those of us who fish have been failed at every turn. In this moment of dire need we are presented with an historic opportunity to save these fish. We can’t let our legacy be extinction.”

“Energy system impacts from granting this injunctive relief can be addressed, in part, with new hybrid renewable energy resources like wind and solar coupled with storage, flexible demand and energy efficiency,” said Nancy Hirsh, executive director of the NW Energy Coalition. “In addition, the West has an excess of solar power during the spring and summer months, and we see a clear opportunity for Bonneville Power Administration to utilize these resources as part of its salmon recovery strategy.”

“Columbia and Snake river salmon and orcas are in crisis,” said Brett VandenHeuvel, Columbia Riverkeeper’s executive director. “We need an injunction to keep the Army Corps and Bonneville Power Administration from driving salmon to extinction. But we also need Northwest leaders like Senator Cantwell and Senator Wyden to support long-term solutions that remove Snake River dams and invest in truly clean energy and river communities. That’s how we’ll recover abundant salmon runs.”

“This is the latest in a long line of challenges to the Columbia River System of Operations, and while we have been successful every single time in court, we believe that true success in this effort will be through collaborative and expansive legislation, initiated by Congressman Simpson, that ensures each stakeholder in the river system is made whole, and Idaho’s rivers, once the world’s greatest salmon runs, are again full of wild fish,” said Nic Nelson, Executive Director, Idaho Rivers United.

“Columbia River salmon are facing an existential crisis due to this year’s record-shattering heatwave and the perennial challenges they face,” said Sarah Bates, Acting Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation’s Northern Rockies, Prairies, and Pacific Region. “Although this litigation is important, it underscores the need for the Northwest delegation and the Biden Administration to center the region’s Tribes and build off Congressman Mike Simpson’s visionary framework to invest in Northwest jobs, save wild salmon, and restore the lower Snake River.”

“Fish need a river if they are going to survive. The plan proposed by the former Trump administration fails on all counts,” said Justin Hayes, executive director of the Idaho Conservation League. “We are seeking drastic changes to how federal agencies operate these dams. The law and the science are clear. If the people of the Northwest are going to save salmon, we are going to have to break away from the status quo.”

“Our wild salmon, steelhead, and orca swim at the brink of extinction, and we must act to restore the Snake River. We have long needed a comprehensive solution that honors treaties with Tribes, recovers abundant wild salmon, and invests in keeping communities whole,” said Bill Arthur, Chair of the Sierra Club’s Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign. “Climate change and warming waters add urgency for stronger actions. The request for more spill and reservoir drawdown are necessary near-term actions for our endangered fish. The risk and

uncertainty are growing for salmon, for utilities and our communities making a comprehensive solution essential.”

“Salmon in the Columbia and Snake rivers are in crisis. Northwest tribes and salmon-dependent communities have been inequitably bearing the burden as dam operations and climate change drive salmon closer to extinction,” said Wendy McDermott, director of the Columbia River and Puget Sound basins for American Rivers. “With soaring temperatures putting additional stress on endangered salmon, short-term measures like additional spill are essential to their survival. We must also take bold and urgent action to build a better future in the Northwest that includes healthy and abundant salmon runs. That means heeding the calls of the Nez Perce Tribe, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and the National Congress of American Indians for a comprehensive solution that invests in salmon and river restoration including removing the four lower Snake River dams, strengthens the region and honors treaties and commitments to Native people.”

“Investing in restoring salmon in the Columbia Basin, once the largest salmon-producing river system in the world, means investing in the return of a multi-billion dollar ocean fishery that once supported tens of thousands of jobs,” said Glen Spain, NW Regional Director for the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), the west coast’s largest trade association of commercial fishing families. “But we can be the generation that restores these mighty salmon runs -- and there are now plenty of good ideas on the table for how to do so.”

REPORTER RESOURCES:

Latest Hot Water Reporton the lethal temperatures at the dams

Fact Sheet: Why the restoration of the lower Snake River is necessary to save wild salmon

ECONorthwest Study on economics of removing the lower Snake River Dams

NW Energy Coalition Study on replacing the power of the four lower Snake River Dams

BACKGROUND:

The Columbia River Basin was once the greatest salmon-producing river system in the world. But all remaining salmon on its largest tributary, the Snake River, are now facing extinction. Four aging dams in Washington—Ice Harbor, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, Lower Granite —block passage along the lower Snake River, a major migration corridor linking pristine cold-water streams in central Idaho to the mighty Columbia River and out to the Pacific Ocean. Scientists say restoring the lower Snake River by taking out these four dams is the single best thing we can do to save the salmon.

Migrating past these dams is a killing field for salmon and steelhead and rising water temperatures caused by the slackwater reservoirs make the passage increasingly deadly. In 2015, some of the earliest and hottest weather on record produced warm river temperatures that killed more than 90% of all adult sockeye salmon returning to the Columbia Basin. In years since, state agencies have had to limit or cancel entire fishing seasons to protect the dwindling fish. This summer with its record-setting heat could be another generational disaster for Snake River salmon.

The current litigation challenges the most recent plan for dam operations, issued by the Trump administration in late 2020. This plan green-lights essentially the same operations the courts have consistently rejected for more than two decades and through a half dozen different failed plans.

Some $17 billion in rate-payer and tax-payer dollars has been spent on the multiple inadequate federal efforts to protect salmon under the previous illegal plans and not one species has recovered.

Independent researchers who have studied the economics of restoring a free-flowing lower Snake River and renewable power replacement options favor dam removal.

Washington, DC—Today, Congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA) held a hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and its impact on jobs and the economy. The ESA is critical for protecting wild, endangered salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake Rivers in the Pacific Northwest.  Those protected salmon in turn are responsible for thousands of jobs across the region, from Alaska to California, and across numerous industries. Some of the affected industries include commercial and sport fishing, recreation and tourism, restaurants, and the growing renewable energy sector.

“Suggesting that the ESA is at odds with economic vitality is simply a false proposition.  When it comes to wild salmon, protecting and implementing the Endangered Species Act is about more than saving fish; it's about saving jobs and livelihoods in our communities as well as. Literally thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of jobs are supported by salmon and steelhead in the West,” said Joel Kawahara, a commercial salmon fisherman from Quilcene, WA. A Washington Trollers Association board member, Kawahara joined 20 other Northwest business leaders in sending a letter to Congressman Hastings todayin support of the ESA, jobs, and salmon.

Federal agencies’ failure to comply fully with the ESA on the Columbia and Snake River hydro-system limits opportunities for the commercial, recreational, and tribal fishing economy, and the manufacturers and retailers of outdoor equipment - affecting river and coastal communities across the West.  In addition, the government’s failure to comply with the law and protect salmon and steelhead in the Columbia-Snake hydro-system is standing in the way of new opportunities to create jobs for renewable energy sources like wind.  

“The benefits of the ESA for our region’s economy and its ecology are all the more reason to take a new approach to salmon restoration in the Pacific Northwest.  We need a stakeholder process where various interests can come together to build a solution for the future,” continued Kawahara.  Fifty-two members of Congress (both Republicans and Democrats), Senators Merkley (D-OR), Crapo (R-ID) and Risch (R-ID), Governor Kitzhaber of Oregon, nearly 1,200 American businesses, and seven of the nation’s largest conservation organizations all support a comprehensive “solutions table” to resolve the issues facing NW salmon.

Also at today’s hearing, both Congressman Hastings and NOAA Fisheries Administrator Eric Schwaab claimed that Columbia-Snake Basin salmon are faring well based on recent returns of adult fish. But these assertions don’t square with NOAA Fisheries’ own science: in its 2010 salmon plan for the Columbia and Snake Rivers, NOAA concluded that the overwhelming majority of salmon populations in the Basin are experiencing declines in productivity and are now facing increased risk of extinction. Take a look at a map from the Oregonian outlining NOAA's failure to reach recovery targets for salmon.

“Masking the facts with wishful thinking won’t get us any closer to salmon recovery in the Columbia and Snake Rivers. This kind of head-in-the-sand approach puts real jobs in jeopardy. Instead, we need to acknowledge the scope of the problem – salmon are in serious trouble – and work together to find effective, common-sense, and science-based solutions,” said Nicole Cordan, policy and legal director for the Save Our wild Salmon coalition.

Contact:

Amy Baird, Save Our wild Salmon: (503) 230-0421 X 13 or amy@wildsalmon.org

Joel Kawahara, Washington Trollers Association: (206) 406-7026

McDermott cites insufficient revision from Bush Administration plan

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Rep. Jim McDermott questioned whether the National Marine Fisheries Service's revised plan for protecting 13 stocks of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake Rivers included adequate improvements over the 2008 version. 

Today, Save Our wild Salmon and four other fishing or conservation groups submitted comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) opposing BPA’s so-called “oversupply management protocol.” Read our previous statement on this issue pointing out the absence of any biological basis for this policy.  Since the odds are high that over-supply episodes will occur again this April, May and/or June, we have asked FERC to rule on BPA’s policy as quickly as possible.  If FERC promptly rejects BPA’s policy, a better policy for both salmon and wind generation could still be put in place.

We additionally have to ask: if this issue is truly about protecting endangered salmon, why is the Protocol limited to paying wind generators and displacing “thermal” resources only in BPA’s control area? Shouldn’t BPA be looking outside of its control area for more ways to reduce spill if the overriding concern in this matter is protecting fish? The fact that BPA is unwilling to do so demonstrates yet again that, when push comes to shove, this is a spending issue for BPA, not a fish issue.

Furthermore, BPA’s actions in this “oversupply” scenario would seem to stand in direct conflict with the goals and directives of the Obama Administration and the federal Department of Energy. A recent letter from Energy Secretary Steven Chu to BPA and other Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) noted that DOE was going to be requiring PMAs to begin taking additional steps to upgrade the power grid and integrate renewables. BPA’s Protocol, far from assisting in those efforts, is actively stymieing the development and continued success of the burgeoning wind industry in the region. That is not an acceptable outcome for either wind farms in the region or for Columbia-Snake salmon, and we agree with Secretary Chu that BPA “must now rise to the challenges of the 21st century.”

A recent report from BPA points out that wind farms on its transmission grid produced more than 4,000 megawatts of power on a single day. It is interesting to note that this amount is nearly four times the average output of the four outdated lower Snake River Dams.
 
Our full statement of protest submitted to FERC is available at this LINK.

Below are links to a series of five recent reports and analyses examining, and in some cases re-examining, the costs and benefits of the lower Snake River Dams.

Introduction: On May 4, the U.S. District Court in Portland invalidated the federal government’s  new plan for protecting endangered salmon and steelhead in the Columbia/Snake rivers for the fifth time in a row since 2000. The Court was clear: the government’s proposed measures did not comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) nor the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Court is requiring federal agencies to produce a new Biological Opinion informed by a full NEPA process: information development and analysis, full consideration of all recovery options including lower Snake River dam removal, and public participation and input. This memo summarizes a number of reports completed in the last several years by different Northwest experts that reflect the dramatically changing economic landscape inhabited by the four federal dams on the lower Snake River. These reports do not purport to offer the final word on these dams’ ledger, but rather provide a substantive, informed insight into their likely costs and benefits today.

I. Lower Snake River Dam Navigation Study
Rocky Mountain Econometrics. September 2015.

•    Rail’s flexibility to go to alternate destinations, the lower Snake River navigation channel’s lack of reliability, and shipping benefits dropping from $19.4 million per year to about $7.6 million have all contributed to reduced demand for commercial navigation, an expanding rail network and increased use of rail.
•    The cost of maintaining the four lower Snake River dams and mitigating their impacts has risen significantly. It is now approximately $227 million per year representing an annual increase of roughly 4.5 percent in recent years.
•    Maintaining the lower Snake River navigation now costs around $18 million per year.
•    The Benefit-to-Cost Ratio of navigation on the Snake is now at a shutdown level of .43:1, and this figure excludes the cost of mitigating the lower Snake River dam’s adverse fish and wildlife impacts.
•    The $7.6 million benefit of lower Snake commercial navigation is now dwarfed by the $24+ million it costs to maintain and mitigate the channel.

II. Restoring wild salmon: Power system costs and benefits of lower Snake River dam removal. NW Energy Coalition. August 2015.

•    The costs to maintain the four lower Snake River dams and associated infrastructure are far greater than the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 2002 estimate of $56 million per year. A more realistic estimate is nearly five times as great - $269 million annually.
•    The costs (net of avoided expenses for maintaining those dams) of replacing the power from the lower Snake River dams with a mix of utility-scale solar and market electricity purchases would be nearly imperceptible to the average public power consumer – close to $1 per month.
•    This does not investigate the economics of navigation, flood control, irrigation, fisheries, or the outdoor industry nor the costs of physical dam removal.

III. Lower Snake River Dam Alternative Power Costs.
Rocky Mountain Econometrics. June 2015.

•   The lower Snake River Dams (LSRD) account for less than 3 percent of the total system-wide energy generation. The system is currently running at about 84% of capacity with approximately 4,600 aMWs of surplus energy. If these dams were decommissioned today and their energy not replaced with alternatives, capacity utilization would increase slightly – to roughly 86.5%.
•   Jim Waddell, recently retired Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE) engineer, calculates that it will cost $312.9 million annually to maintain these four dams, 90 percent of which, $281.6 million, is attributable to power generation.
•   The simplest way to replace the lower Snake River dam power would be through purchase on the open market. If this had been done from 2009 through 2014, ratepayers would have experienced a net annual savings of about $19 million.
•   If utility scale photovoltaic energy were developed and used in combination with market purchased energy to replace the power from the lower Snake River dams, Northwest ratepayers could expect to enjoy an annual savings of $21.7 million.

IV. National and Regional Economic Analysis of the Four Lower Snake River Dams: A review of the 2002 Lower Snake Feasibility Report/Environmental Impact Statement Economic Appendix (I)
Earth Economics. February 2015

•   The current state of the four Lower Snake River dams yield a yearly benefit-cost ration of 0.15, well below a positive return on investment.
•   A free-flowing river yields a yearly benefit-cost ratio of 4.3 in terms of National Economic Development (NED). These benefits are not realized with the current state of the river.
•   With the possible exception of navigation and irrigation water supply, the current benefits would not be lost, but rather increased, if the dams were breached.
•   Wild salmon are keystone species in trophic webs from the North Pacific Ocean to the far reaches of the Lower Snake River and tributaries. They are important for food provision, cultural value, and for sustaining other key species throughout the Pacific Northwest.

V. The Costs of Keeping the Four Lower Snake River Dams: A Reevaluation of the Lower Snake River Feasibility Report
James Waddell and Linwood Laughy. January 2015.

•    A professional reevaluation of the 2002 report—correcting earlier cost projections with now available actual costs and addressing omissions, errors, miscalculations and faulty assumptions—demonstrates the Walla Walla District understated the true cost of keeping the dams in place by a staggering $160.7 million on an average annual basis.
•    The reevaluation corrects the assumptions and cost estimates used in the Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Report (LSRFR) and confirms the estimates based on actual cost over the past 15 years. It then projects the costs over the entire life-span of the project.
•    If the ACOE’s Walla Walla District had conducted a thorough, honest economic analysis in its 2002 LSRFR, the four lower Snake River Dams would likely have been removed by now.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 January 2025

CONTACTS:

Michael Charles, Columbia Snake River Campaign, info@columbiasnakeriver.com, 206-390-5656

Joseph Bogaard, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, joseph@wildsalmon.org, 206-300-1003

Bill Arthur, Sierra Club, billwarthur@gmail.com, 206-954-9826

Risch-Newhouse Bill Would Reverse Energy Progress at the Cost of Salmon Extinction

Yesterday, Senator Risch and Representative Newhouse announced legislation that seeks to prevent the removal of the four lower Snake River dams, which have decimated Pacific salmon and steelhead populations for decades, in violation of U.S. Government treaties with Tribes, while producing a meagre 4% of the region’s hydropower. Rather than addressing these challenges, the proposed legislation would increase costs by maintaining these aging dams and push Snake and Columbia River salmon closer to extinction.

“Over 70 years and $24 billion dollars in fish mitigation efforts at the lower Snake River dams have shown us that removal is the only viable option to avoid extinction and restore salmon to healthy and abundant levels. Of the 18 dams on the mainstem Columbia and lower Snake river, salmon demonstrably cannot co-exist with these four, which is evident from their continued ESA listing for over 30 years.”
– Kayeloni Scott, Executive Director, Columbia Snake River Campaign

“The science is clear: restoring a healthy lower Snake River is absolutely necessary to protect its wild salmon and steelhead from extinction. The Risch/Newhouse proposal misses an enormous opportunity to build on 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.”
– Joseph Bogaard, Executive Director, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition

“Sen. Risch and Rep. Newhouse’s legislation offers no solutions and attempts to lock in a failed and costly status quo. The courts have ruled six times that previous federal plans are inadequate and illegal. Fortunately Senator Murray, Rep. Simpson and the states of Washington and Oregon and others have demonstrated that we can responsibly replace the services provided by the dams, restore the Snake River, and meet ESA and treaty rights requirements. We can invest in better transportation and energy systems that create a stronger future that includes abundant salmon and healthy orcas.”
– Bill Arthur, Chair, Sierra Club Columbia/Snake River Salmon Campaign

“We remain committed to working with Governors Ferguson and Kotek, and policymakers of our region as we craft durable solutions that recover salmon and invest in our communities moving everyone forward together. We greatly appreciate the bipartisan leadership by policymakers in the Pacific Northwest recently to bring people together to develop lasting solutions that will protect Northwest’s native fish from extinction and restore them to healthy and abundant levels. We are excited to bring forward solutions that will provide much needed economic development, especially to rural parts of Washington. “ – Liz Hamilton, Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association

The Columbia Snake River Campaign is a coalition of people, businesses, and organizations, guided by Tribal objectives and priorities, calling for elected leaders to stop salmon extinction by removing four dams on the lower Snake River, replacing their services, and investing in Northwest communities

Plan’s Emphasis on Conservation and Renewables Are Good for Salmon Communities and Jobs

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber today released his draft 10-Year Energy Action Plan, which charts the state’s energy course for the next decade. The draft plan follows the lead of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 6th Power Plan from February 2010 and then goes beyond it, calling for Oregon to meet all new electric load growth through energy efficiency and conservation.

Pat Ford, Executive Director of the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, said:

“Governor Kitzhaber's draft energy plan, if implemented in Oregon and the Northwest, will help restore salmon, create new rural and urban jobs in fisheries and recreation, as well as in wind power, solar power, and energy efficiency, and keep Oregon a leader in assuring full multiple-use management of the Columbia and Snake Rivers for fish, energy, farms, and jobs.  It's a blueprint not just for Oregon but for federal energy policy in the Northwest.

The Governor’s plan, in conjunction with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 6th Power Plan, shows that we can both protect and restore our wild salmon and chart a clean and affordable energy future. Our region is blessed with ample, affordable energy conservation and renewable energy resources to serve power needs and fulfill our climate responsibilities, while reviving our salmon economy and creating thousands of family-wage local jobs along the way.”

Contact: Pat Ford, Save Our Wild Salmon, pford@wildidaho.org, 208-345 9067 Rhett Lawrence, Save Our Wild Salmon, rhett@wildsalmon.org, 503-230-0421, x18

Portland, OR-- Save Our wild Salmon is disappointed in BPA’s draft proposal regarding policy on wind curtailments, to be publicly presented today in Portland. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) continues to use salmon as an excuse for policy decisions regarding wind power cut-offs, despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting their claim.

BPA’s draft proposal fails to include two policy measures SOS has recommended that would help salmon and also help avoid unnecessary cut-offs of wind power. First, it does not include our recommendation that BPA use daily biological monitoring of migrating salmon, with more reliance on state and Tribal fish managers who track that monitoring, to decide case-by-case response at specific dams if and as problems arise. Such an approach would be better for salmon, and wind power, instead of a blanket policy regardless of whether the problem actually exists or not.

Second, BPA’s proposal fails to support changing Washington State’s total dissolved gas standard to be consistent with Oregon’s scientifically supported standard. This change would allow for more safe spill for salmon, and would also help to reduce the occasions when a wind power cut-off would need to be considered.

Said SOS executive director Pat Ford, “Restoring our endangered salmon and continued expansion of clean wind power are compatible goals. Northwest people support both, for their environmental and job creation benefits in rural and urban areas. BPA’s proposed policy does not take advantage of this synergy.” Read the full SOS analysis and statement regarding the impact of high water flows on fish last summer.

Contact:

Pat Ford, Save Our wild Salmon executive director: (208) 345-9067

Amy Baird, communications director: (503) 230-0421 X 13; media@wildsalmon.org

Erin Greeson, Renewable Northwest Project: (503) 223-4544; erin@rnp.org

Portland, Ore. – Today, Salmon advocates joined the wind energy industry in a public battle against the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Their support comes following an official complaint by wind energy groups having lost millions in revenue this summer due to a recent policy implemented by BPA limiting their ability to sell power. BPA has attempted to pit the wind industry and salmon groups against each other, claiming the protection of endangered salmon as its motivation for curtailing the wind industry. Salmon advocates dispute the scientific support for such a claim. In fact, salmon groups assert that increasing spill over the dams a bit and supporting the renewable wind sector are in fact a “wind-win” for salmon, despite BPA’s claims.

The situation is a result of unusually high water levels in the rivers due to abundant snowfall this past winter. Consequently, surplus energy was created via hydro power, resulting in overgeneration on the power grid. Rather than implement numerous other options for handling the overgeneration, BPA’s decision was to shut off wind, contrary to existing contracts wind producers had with BPA. The wind industry has responded via an official complaint with the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC). Salmon advocates have filed a motion to intervene in the filing to support the wind-industry and protect endangered salmon, which benefit from safe spill at the dams.

"There is just no justification for BPA to curtail the whole region's wind power, costing wind investors many millions of dollars, just so they can maximize unneeded power generation at the dams," noted Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, a commercial fishing industry trade association and one of the intervening groups.  

“There’s more at stake here than just supporting the renewable energy sector and wind-industry, which is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Northwest,” said Kevin Lewis, Conservation Policy Director at Idaho Rivers United. “This short-sighted policy also hurts fish, and therefore, all the thousands of jobs and families that depend on those fish for their livelihoods.”

The organizations moving to intervene in the FERC proceeding include Save our Wild Salmon, Idaho Rivers United, American Rivers, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, and the Institute for Fisheries Resources. 

Full text of comments submitted to FERC available here.

While BPA announced this morning that it was ending this season’s curtailment of wind energy, the long term implications are serious and broad reaching, both for investment in the renewable energy sector and for salmon. With scientifically driven change in federal policy, we know we can restore salmon, increase clean energy such as wind energy, and create jobs.  Read more in the NW Energy Coalition report “Bright Future.”

On March 9th, 80 commercial and recreational fishing associations and conservation organizations called on President Obama to create a high-level Salmon Director position in the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to restore West Coast salmon populations, protect fishing jobs and rebuild the salmon economy.

October 28, 2015

Contacts:
Rod Sando, rosando@mindspring.com  /  503-982-3271
Joseph Bogaard, joseph@wildsalmon.org  /  206-300-1003

Northwest Fisheries Biologists Raise Serious Issues re: NOAA, climate change, and Columbia-Snake River salmon recovery efforts in letter to West Coast Administrator Will Stelle.

Please find the “Oct. 2015 Fisheries Biologists’ Letter to NOAA’s West Coast Regional Administrator Will Stelle RE: Columbia Basin Salmon and Climate Change”. It was delivered earlier today.

This Letter was drafted in large part in response to Mr. Stelle’s op-ed in the Seattle Times on August 29 (link below). Mr. Stelle’s op-ed was itself a response to an Aug. 2 op-ed (also below) by Pat Ford charging that NOAA has taken/is taking very little meaningful action to help ensure the survival of Columbia/Snake River salmon and steelhead faced with intensifying climate impacts.

This past summer, for example, the Northwest experienced high, prolonged temperatures in June and July and low stream flows (due to low snowpack) in the Columbia Basin. These conditions, in combination with the dam-created reservoirs on the Columbia  and Snake Rivers, raised water temperatures above the survival range for many salmon and steelhead. An estimated 250,000 adult sockeye were killed by these hot water conditions in the Columbia and Snake Rivers this summer. Other species were also harmed and killed in large numbers, including scores of imperiled sturgeon, chinook, and others.

While Summer 2015’s conditions may have been unusual, they were not unexpected. They are exactly the types of conditions long predicted by scientists in and out of NOAA-Fisheries. Despite these predictions, NOAA’s Columbia Basin salmon plans have contained virtually no meaningful strategies or measures to address or mitigate these types of hot water episodes. Last summer, NOAA and other agencies did respond on a last-minute ad hoc basis in an effort to assist struggling fish populations. The benefits of these efforts so far appear to have been very limited.

The attached “Scientists’ Letter to Mr. Stelle”, signed by eight accomplished and well-respected Northwest salmon biologists (listed below) representing approximately 250 years of salmon, fish and wildlife science and policy experience in the Northwest, outlines a number of specific ways in which NOAA’s current strategies for Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead are inadequate. The letter urges Mr. Stelle and NOAA to change course, follow the best available science, and take meaningful actions to protect Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead populations facing intensifying climate impacts.

Here are links to the two op-eds that appeared in the Seattle Times this past August that helped spur these 8 scientists into action in the form of a letter to Regional Administrator Stelle.

Seattle Times Guest Opinion by Pat Ford: Dead salmon, climate change and Northwest dams (Aug 2)

Seattle Times Guest Opinion by Will Stelle: NOAA Fisheries embraces — not ignores — climate research (Aug 29)

Coincidentally, this letter is being sent just after the following article on NOAA’s report on the extremely poor survival of juvenile salmon in Summer 2015: Preliminary 2015 Spring Juvenile Survival Estimates Through Snake/Columbia River Dams Dismal – the main conclusion of a recently released NOAA Fisheries report on juvenile salmon survival this summer in the Basin.

Thank you.

Joseph Bogaard
Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition
206-300-1003 (cell)
www.wildsalmon.org

Letter Signers:

Rod Sando
Former Chief Executive of Natural Resources for Minnesota                                                           
Former Director of Idaho Fish and Game Department
 
Don Chapman, Ph.D.
Fisheries Biologist (Retired)
 
Douglas A.  DeHart, Ph.D
Former Fisheries Chief, ODFW
Former Senior Fisheries Biologist, USFWS
 
Daniel H. Diggs
Former Assistant Regional Director for Fisheries
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
 
Jim Martin
Former Chief of Fisheries
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
 
Steve Pettit
Fisheries Biologist (Retired)
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
 
Bill Shake
Former Assistant Regional Director of Fisheries
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
 
Don Swartz
Fisheries Biologist (Retired)
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Taxpayer groups, fishing businesses, fishermen, clean energy advocates and conservation organizations applaud bi-partisan legislation

WASHINGTON, DC — In late July of 2009, Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI), joined by over 30 additional co-sponsors from across the nation, introduced the Salmon Solutions and Planning Act (HR 3503) in the House of Representatives. The bill would provide Congress and federal agencies with up-to-date, thorough information about how best to protect and restore wild salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia and Snake River Basin.

Download a copy of The Salmon Solutions & Planning Act (HR 3503)

Download the fact sheet overview of the legislation.

Read a Statement for the Record from Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) one of the bill's orginal cosponsors.

Read an Editorial on the legislation from the Register Guard.

Challenging the expensive status quo while calling for an approach that puts all recovery options, including lower Snake River dam removal, on the table, Congressman McDermott said, “I'm not willing to practice the politics of extinction, doing nothing until there is nothing left to do, until there are no more wild salmon left to save. I'm willing to listen, but I'm not willing to wait.”

United States taxpayers and Northwest ratepayers have spent more than $8 billion on efforts to protect and restore endangered wild salmon in the Columbia and Snake River Basin. And yet, populations of wild Snake River salmon have shown little improvement since being listed under the Endangered Species Act in the 1990s; most are hovering well below levels required for recovery. Declining runs have curtailed fisheries and hurt regional economies throughout the Pacific salmon states of Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

“For the fishing industry, it’s all about the jobs — and we’ve lost more than 25,000 fishing-related jobs coastwide due to the decline of Columbia-Snake River salmon. Without abundant, harvestable populations of salmon, our coastal communities will never economically recover,” said Glen Spain, Northwest Regional Director of Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, a major commercial fishing industry group. "This new bi-partisan bill gives President Obama and Congress a chance to step in and ensure an economic future for salmon-dependent communities through sound science and effective salmon restoration, instead of the denial and bungling of the past."

Federal recovery efforts have been stymied and taxpayer dollars misdirected, in large part, due to incomplete and outdated information.

"We have a responsibility to make sure that the wild salmon of the Snake River and the rest of the Columbia Basin in the Pacific Northwest survive and thrive for future generations, but we should do so in a fiscally responsible manner.  Current efforts appear to be inadequate, in addition to being costly,” said Congressman Petri. “We must stop throwing good money after bad; it’s past time to do some fresh thinking and take the right actions before it's too late."

The legislation comes on the heels of a letter signed by outdoor clothing company Patagonia and more than 90 other national business leaders asking Congress to support a salmon “solutions” table and to act on legislation that will help bring about a durable resolution to the long-standing challenge of salmon recovery.  More on this letter.

“Conservation is a core priority for the outdoor industry, and wild salmon play an important role in the recreation economy. We simply can’t afford to lose them,” said Lisa Pike-Sheehy, Patagonia’s Director of Environmental Initiatives. “We need updated, comprehensive and unbiased information so we can evaluate, on a level playing field, all potential salmon recovery options, including lower Snake River dam removal. We applaud the members of Congress supporting this bill.”

The solutions legislation comes at an opportune time. The Obama administration is reviewing the flawed Columbia-Snake salmon plan, while three Northwest Senators — Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Jim Risch (R-ID) — have called on the administration to convene a salmon solutions table that brings together key stakeholders to discuss all scientifically-credible options, including lower Snake River dam removal, to help recover endangered salmon and enhance the region’s economy while saving taxpayer dollars. The studies authorized in SSPA would provide information needed to make such stakeholder discussions even more successful.

"If we don’t alter our current course, taxpayers will continue to foot the bill for costly salmon recovery and will shoulder the massive cost of extinction as well,” said Autumn Hanna, senior program director for Taxpayers for Common Sense. “We need an effective, fiscally responsible federal salmon recovery strategy that is based on an examination of all available options including lower Snake River dam removal. We urge Congress to support this bill and authorize the necessary studies to vet this option and protect taxpayers from billions more in wasted dollars.”

Download this document.

For fore information, contact Gilly Lyons, 503.230.0421 x17, gilly [at] wildsalmon.org

From the desk of Sam Mace

July 26, 2013

While big questions are being raised about the economic viability of the lower Snake River waterway, big oil companies are still trying to turn Idaho's Highway 12 from a protected wild and scenic river and historic route of Lewis and Clark into an industrial corridor used to transport massive equipment to be used  for oil and tar sand extraction and processing in the Dakotas and Canada. Such a transport corridor will damage the scenic, historic, and ecological values of the area, is widely opposed by local residents, and will put at further risk already-endangered wild salmon and steelhead.

This letter expresses support to the Forest for exercising its authority to protect the wild and scenic values of the corridor and preventing the mega-load from using Highway 12.

Download the letter here.

Hear a story on KUOW than ran July 25th - highlighting the stand-off created by Omega-Morgan Corporation when it shipped its materials up the lower Columbia and lower Snake with the full knowledge that it had not secured the required permissions to use Highway 12 for mega-load tranport.