Inslee cheered by salmon advocates
Executive order reaffirms WA’s cooperation with recovery effort
Salmon advocates praised Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Wednesday for an executive order that reaffirms the state’s commitment to a recent salmon recovery agreement in the Columbia River basin.
His order, issued Tuesday, directs state agencies to cooperate with the state of Oregon and the Nez Perce, Warm Springs, Yakama and Umatilla tribes as they work with the federal government to implement the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative.
The tribes and federal government struck the deal that shelves for up to 10 years a lawsuit over the harm that Snake and Columbia River dams cause to the fish. In exchange for pausing litigation, the federal government agreed to help the tribes, in partnership with Oregon and Washington, to take steps to improve salmon habitat while also studying ways to replace the hydropower, transportation and irrigation services provided by the four lower Snake River dams if they are ever breached.
“This Executive Order represents Gov. Inslee’s unwavering commitment to restoring our iconic salmon runs while modernizing the infrastructure of the Columbia and Snake Rivers,” said Kayeloni Scott, executive director of the Columbia Snake River Campaign. “This is a commitment to good governance — keeping promises made to Tribes, to the people of Washington, and to future generations.”
Snake River salmon and steelhead returns once numbered in the millions but declined dramatically following construction of eight dams between Lewiston and the Pacific Ocean. Many salmon advocates and scientists view breaching the Snake River dams in Washington as the best and likely only way to recover the wild fish. But dam removal would end the use of the lower Snake River as a shipping channel between Lewiston and the Tri-Cities in Washington, reduce the amount of low-carbon energy produced by the federal hydroelectric system and make irrigation more expensive for farmers near Ice Harbor Dam.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek issued a similar order in September.
Barker may be reached at ebarker@lmtribune.com.
