Salmon at a Crossroads

A Frank Assessment of the Movement to Un-dam the Lower Snake River.

The movement to un-dam the Lower Snake River is as close to success as it has been for decades.

I am proud of the role that Columbia Riverkeeper has played in that success, and you, as a Columbia Riverkeeper supporter, should be too. But victory for salmon and the cultures they support remains uncertain. Here’s an update on the movement to un-dam the Lower Snake River and why making your voice heard right now is absolutely critical to restoring abundant salmon.

A Looming Deadline

The Biden Administration has a court-imposed deadline of August 31, 2023, to outline a plan to recover Columbia River salmon and replace the electricity, transportation, and irrigation services that the Lower Snake River dams currently provide. President Biden has personally committed to solving this difficult and long-running problem. But a few powerful entities—such as the Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and wealthy electric companies—are working hard to block progress. To the best of our knowledge, the Biden Administration is actively striving to make an internal decision about what to do next. The two paths are clear and distinct: One leads to extinction and broken promises; the other to abundance and growth.

Snake River Salmon on the Brink

The sickening backdrop to the Administration’s choice is the collapse of Snake River salmon and steelhead. Snake River sockeye are barely clinging to existence; in many years, only a few dozen adult fish return to their spawning grounds. Federal scientists recently found that hot water pollution caused by dams and climate change is likely to decrease adult sockeye survival by “~80% from their already low levels” in coming years and result in “future biodiversity loss”—that’s scientist-speak for extinction. Many populations of Snake River spring Chinook are in danger of ceasing to exist, and dismal returns of Snake River spring Chinook caused emergency fishing closures throughout the Lower Columbia River this spring. The Snake River’s once-legendary steelhead runs have collapsed as well; the number of steelhead returning in 2023 is predicted to be far smaller than the already dismal 10-year average. There is no legitimate scientific debate about whether Snake River salmon need dam removal. This year, the non-partisan American Fisheries Society reported, “If Snake River basin salmon and steelhead are to be saved, then policymakers and stakeholders at all. levels will need to implement appropriate processes and funding provisions to breach the four dams on the Lower Snake River.” Regional experts recently published an exhaustive review of decades of studies, all concluding that removing Lower Snake River dams has the best chance of preventing extinction and providing recovery. Most importantly, the federal government’s lead salmon scientists also weighed in, stating that Lower Snake River dam removal is “essential” to rebuilding healthy and harvestable numbers of Snake River salmon.

Cultures and Treaty Rights at Stake

This isn’t only about fish. The federal dams driving salmon to extinction in the Snake River have caused the United States to default on its promises to Tribal Nations. In 1855, Tribal leaders in the Columbia River basin negotiated a series of treaties with the U.S. government. Those Tribes gave up vast and unimaginably valuable land holdings, but extracted promises that they would forever retain the right to harvest salmon at their usual fishing places. The U.S. Supreme Court observed that these promises are central to the treaties, salmon being “not much less necessary to the Indians than the atmosphere they breathed.” The Lower Snake River dams drowned the places where Tribal fishing occurred and decimated or eliminated the salmon fisheries that the Tribes bargained for. Righting this historic wrong is an important opportunity for the Biden Administration to begin backing up its rhetoric about supporting environmental justice and honoring Treaty rights.

A Path Forward

From the beginning of this campaign, Columbia Riverkeeper has been clear: What we want—what the Pacific Northwest deserves—is a comprehensive federal plan to recover abundant salmon and replace the Lower Snake River dams’ services. Columbia Riverkeeper has never advocated for dam removal without investing in energy, transportation, and agriculture, and we know that real solutions exist. To paraphrase leading Snake River dam removal advocate Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID): we can do everything else differently, but salmon need one thing—they need a river. Unfortunately, the Bonneville Power Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, wealthy electric utilities, and companies that barge grain on the Lower Snake River would rather misrepresent the science behind salmon recovery than engage in meaningful conversations about how to replace the dams’ services. Over the past year, Columbia Riverkeeper and our allies have paused our long-running court case over how federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers violate the Endangered Species Act. The decision was tough. Ultimately, the Biden Administration’s insistence that it needed a year to develop a plan to restore abundant salmon runs and honor Tribal rights convinced us. But if the Biden Administration cannot live up to its promise to deliver a “durable solution” for salmon recovery by the end of August 2023, Columbia Riverkeeper will likely resume—and potentially expand—our litigation against the federal government. A comprehensive plan, backed by the White House, seems most likely to result in dam removal and tangible benefits for the entire Columbia River basin. But without such a plan, Columbia Riverkeeper and our allies will have little choice but to return to court, given the collapse of Snake River salmon populations. In Columbia Riverkeeper’s estimation, litigation is the only tool that has ever caused the Army Corps to change its operation of these dams to help salmon.

Despite frustration and uncertainty, I believe we are close to a tipping point for Lower Snake River dam removal. New voices and support from across the region have brought this issue to a head. Tribal and state governments are actively working, together, to improve conditions for salmon in the Lower Snake and across the entire Columbia River basin. Congressional leaders from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho have all stepped forward to find solutions. The Biden Administration has acknowledged the scientific consensus around the need for Snake River dam removal and promised to make a plan that protects Tribal rights. But despite all of this progress and momentum, a few powerful agencies and wealthy interests are keeping our region stuck in the past. Now is the time to raise your voice and take action. Be assured that Columbia Riverkeeper’s staff are putting every ounce of pressure we can on the Biden Administration to keep its promises; we hope that you will join us. If you can write letters and make phone calls to our leaders, do it now. Because we may not have another opportunity this good for a long time. And the salmon that unite people across the Columbia River basin do not have a long time.