By Bill Arthur, Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign Chair
The past few months have been a busy time for the campaign to save the Snake River salmon, even though a lot of the activity has taken place behind the scenes. The good news is that given recent campaign progress, we expect to see many more public actions moving forward. If you haven’t seen our recent alert or taken action yet – please click here now to let Senator Cantwell know we need her leadership and want her to join with Senator Murray and Governor Inslee to develop a comprehensive plan for Columbia Basin salmon by this July.
Below you can read more about recent campaign activities and additional opportunities to voice your support for salmon, orca, treaty rights, and the need to remove the four lower Snake River dams. Together we can positively influence a comprehensive plan being developed by Senator Murray, and Governor Inslee, as well as the Biden administration settlement talks to finally resolve the long-running litigation around these issues.
Summary:
1) Listening Sessions – Under the Biden Administration, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has conducted a set of listening sessions with various stakeholders around the Northwestover the past several weeks including those with interests in energy, agriculture, shipping/navigation, conservation groups and others. Plaintiffs, including Sierra Club (and state of Oregon and Nez Perce Tribe) agreed to pause our litigation until July 31 to pursue discussion to see if we can agree on a salmon recovery plan. This process is running parallel to the initiative by Senator Murray and Gov. Inslee to develop a legislative plan by the end of July. Developing a plan to remove the lower Snake River dams is a key focus of both processes. The Sierra Club participated in the CEQ listening session along with many other conservation and fish advocacy groups. The Biden administration is also engaging in formal consultations with Northwest tribes as is appropriate.
2) Snake River Salmon/Dams Survey - Senator Murray and Governor Inslee have put up a survey on their website to provide an opportunity for the public to provide input and ideas regarding their interest in Snake River salmon and perspectives on how to replace the services the dams provide. The survey is open to anyone in the region and we strongly encourage you to go to the link and fill it out. The second question and the last question provide the opportunity to say why you care about the issue. The other questions let you note what services may be lost by removing the dams and thoughts about how to replace those services. Sierra Club fully supports making investments needed to replace the electricity generated by the dams with abundant renewable, clean energy. We also support restoration of rail services and upgraded roads and ports so agriculture commodities will continue to get to markets. So please fill it out the survey yourself and share the survey link with others you think may be interested.
3) Events and Rallies coming this Spring – COVID-19 conditions permitting, there will be opportunities for tabling and other public actions this spring. And, in May the Lummi are planning a Totem Pole Journey to support salmon recovery, help orca, meet treaty right responsibilities by removing the lower Snake River dams. To get involved or for additional information about these upcoming events please contact Mariska Kecskes (Mariska.kecskes@sierraclub.org).
This is an exciting year for Snake River restoration. After decades of organizing and legal fights, real progress is being made to develop a comprehensive plan for Columbia Basin salmon, including removal of the four lower Snake River dams. The opportunity to develop a durable solution is within our grasp. And, the need has never been greater. Our salmon continue to swim at the brink of extinction, the orca that depend on healthy salmon runs remain imperiled, and climate change makes it even more critical to remove the dams and restore a river to deal with warming waters. Let's keep pressing for the changes that are needed and a timeline that works. Take action to encourage our congressional leaders to act before it’s too late.