History

Upon learning that a nuclear reactor would be shipped to Hanford up the Columbia: “A group of us decided to hold a protest on the Hood River bridge as the barge passed below. About 150 windsurfers, local citizens, and Native Americans gathered and threw flowers on the Coast Guard gunner ship as it passed. We monitored the radiation level and found it to be quite high.”

Reggae star Jimmy Cliff performs at Riverkeeper’s Columbiana RiverFest.

Greg and Cyndy DeBruler launched the pollution patrol boat, along with new attorney, Brent Foster.  

When Oregon DEQ tried to weaken our water clarity standards at industry’s behest, Riverkeeper and allies turned to cute kids and strong legal arguments to protect clean water. 

Riverkeeper has trained hundreds of volunteers, from Cathlamet to Wenatchee, to sample for pollution.

Fifty years after The Dalles dam inundated Celilo Falls, Riverkeeper partnered with Celilo Village to create a photo exhibit honoring the mighty falls and the people who fished there.  

We stood with farmers, fishermen, and inspiring activists to protect the Columbia River estuary from a destructive gas plant. This signature victory set the tone for future fossil fuel campaigns.

Legal victory to shut down Oregon’s only coal-fired power plant in Boardman, Oregon.

Not many campaigns end with a BANG. The Condit dam on the White Salmon River in south-central Washington blocked salmon for 100 years until a huge community effort and a little dynamite freed the river.

Working with Umatilla and other tribes, Riverkeeper pushed Oregon to adopt the nation’s most protective limits on toxic pollution in fish. Other states will follow. 

First, we stopped coal export when Oregon rejected a dock-building permit. Next, after Riverkeeper sued, the Army Corps agreed to reduce toxic oil discharges from large dams. Finally, we protected 800 acres of farmland and riparian forest along the Columbia River at Port Westward.

Portland passed a landmark Fossil Fuel Resolution; we exposed oil refinery plans in Longview, WA; Oregon shut the door on coal export; and the estuary remained LNG-free.

On June 3, 2016, a train carrying crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken formation derailed, spilled, and burned. Government leaders paid attention and eventually rejected the Tesoro oil-by-rail terminal in Vancouver, WA.

On February 23, 2016, the port’s commissioners voted unanimously to end negotiations with Waterside Energy. 

Big Coal came to town, and you sent it packing. After six years of hard work, we defeated the Millennium coal terminal in Longview, Washington. 

Tesoro sought to ship over 131 million barrels of oil per year down the Columbia River. On January 9, 2018, the Port of Vancouver voted to end Tesoro's lease and Washington Governor Jay Inslee rejected the proposal on January 29, 2018.

EPA must protect Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead from dangerously warm river temperatures.

Oregon’s only coal-fired power plant officially shut down. You made this happen.

Comunidades was created by Latino parents, activists, educators, and other residents of the Gorge to address a need for a Latino-led environmental group. Columbia Riverkeeper is proud to be a fiscal sponsor. 

Millennium coal export terminal proposed in Longview, Washington, lost its rights to build along the Columbia.

Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) denied permits for a proposal to build the world’s largest fracked gas-to-methanol refinery, citing significant negative impacts on our climate and the Columbia River.

Thousands of people signed comment letters and repeatedly told the State of Oregon that Perennial—and fracked gas— should not be part of our energy future.

We head into 2023 with momentum, and we set our sights high to tackle the pressing issues facing Columbia River communities...

After a decade of litigation by Columbia Riverkeeper, all ten federally-owned dams on the Columbia and Lower Snake river finally have Clean Water Act permits.