Washington state can protect salmon, orcas, and the communities that depend on them.
Washington State’s Historic Opportunity to Help Orcas & Salmon
Washington can use its authority under the Clean Water Act to do what the Trump administration and federal agencies cannot or will not do: protect and restore orcas and salmon. The decline of Columbia Basin salmon runs contributes to the starvation of the Southern Resident orcas. And dams are at the heart of a decades-long dive toward extinction.
But there is hope. For the first time in history, Gov. Inslee and the Washington Dept. of Ecology can help struggling orcas—and the Columbia and Snake rivers’ iconic salmon runs—by issuing so-called Clean Water Act 401 certifications for eight of the nation’s largest hydroelectric dams.
Despite the pandemic, the Trump administration gave Washington state a tight deadline to make critical decisions about the dams.
Here’s how Washington state can protect salmon, orcas, and the communities that depend on them:
- Later this spring, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to issue Clean Water Act water pollution permits for oil and other pollution at eight federal dams on the lower Columbia and Snake rivers.
- These federal permits will finally trigger Clean Water Act Section 401 certification by Washington state for the dams.
- Under the Clean Water Act, Washington can require the Trump administration’s EPA to protect the Columbia River’s water quality and fisheries.
You only have until April 13 to speak up. Take action today. Want to dive deeper? Read Columbia Riverkeeper’s fact sheet and in-depth research on the struggling salmon and orcas.
