US EditionOregon and conservationists ask court to OK dam operation changes to help salmon
Oregon and tribes seek to alter dam operations to boost endangered salmon survival, citing a $1 billion restoration effort and treaty obligations to Native communities.
- Earlier this week, the State of Oregon and environmental groups filed for a court injunction in U.S. District Court in Portland seeking lower reservoirs and increased spill to aid Columbia and Snake River salmon.
- Following resumption of litigation in September, plaintiffs seek a court order to modify dam operations after the Trump administration canceled a long-term salmon deal that included over $1 billion for states and tribes.
- The filing seeks to increase spill at dams to aid young salmon, covering eight dams , and also calls for lower reservoirs to cool water and shorten migration.
- Energy officials say changes could raise costs and strain the grid, warning reduced water for hydropower risks blackouts, while the Nez Perce Tribe and State of Washington support the injunction to protect salmon and treaty rights.
- Scientists and plaintiffs say breaching the four lower Snake River dams is necessary, as the Columbia River Basin historically supported 10 to 16 million fish but now faces near-extinction for some Snake River salmon populations.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Comment: Scuttling Columbia Basin pact ignores peril to salmon
HeraldNet.com HeraldNet.com - Everett and Snohomish County news from The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington The Trump administration’s action forces a return of litigation, but pact’s partners can still act. Comment: Scuttling Columbia Basin pact ignores peril to salmon Wire Service
Idaho Capital Sun
Renewed legal battle ramps up over Columbia Basin dams and salmon
The Lower Monumental lock and dam on the Snake River. (Getty Images)A long-running court battle over how to balance protections for endangered fish with hydropower dams in the Columbia River Basin has resumed after a two-year pause. Conservationists, anglers and clean energy groups, along with the state of Oregon, asked a federal court Tuesday to grant a preliminary injunction that would change how eight dams on the lower Columbia and Snake riv…
Oregon asks for emergency measures to save salmon in Columbia, Snake rivers from extinction
The Columbia River Basin once sustained 10 to 16 million salmon and steelhead annually. Today, over a third of those populations are extinct and many are at imminent risk of disappearing.
Associated Press News
Oregon and conservationists ask court to OK dam operation changes to help salmon
Conservationists and the state of Oregon have asked a federal court to approve changes to dam operations on the lower Snake and Columbia Rivers to help restore salmon populations.
Salmon advocates seek injunction to change Columbia River dam operations
Environmental groups and the State of Oregon are seeking a court injunction to force federal dams on the Columbia River to lower reservoirs and increase the amount of water they spill downstream.
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