In a continuing disagreement between the Yakama Nation and the Bonneville Power Administration over the expiration of the Columbia Basin Fish Accords and carryover funds, the power agency says it had hoped to continue talks that would extend some form of the Accords long-term.
The Accords expired Sept. 30 for all parties receiving such funds. However, BPA cut Accord support to the Yakama Nation short, including leftover “carryover funds,” after the tribes in mid-September joined a motion in U.S. District Court in Portland to lift a litigation stay in the National Wildlife Federation v. National Marine Fisheries Service lawsuit. That, BPA says, violated the Accord agreement and “triggered the Yakama Nation’s immediate withdrawal from the agreement.”
“BPA had hoped to discuss future long-term funding agreements with all Fish Accords parties, including the Yakama Nation, in an effort to prioritize on-the-ground mitigation work instead of litigation,” BPA spokesperson David Wilson said in an email. “We were surprised to see the Yakama Nation join a motion to reinstate claims against the United States in the Columbia River System litigation.”
The Fish Accords are fish and wildlife projects implemented by tribes and states and funded by BPA revenues. The Accords account for nearly one-half the money the power marketing agency spends on its fish and wildlife programs, according to BPA. The other portion pays for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Fish and Wildlife Program.
Last week, the Tribes said that BPA had previously assured them that unspent funds from the Accords, which had been a 17-year partnership with Columbia River tribes and BPA, would remain available to the Yakama Nation after the Accords expired. The Yakama Nation said the money is needed to support habitat and hatchery projects in the Columbia River basin, estimating the total to be $50 million, and saying that withholding the money “threatens critical salmon recovery work and undermines longstanding federal environmental commitments.”
–See CBB, December 5, 2025, Yakama Nation Requests BPA Release $50 Million In Unspent Fish Accords Funds, Supports Hatchery, Habitat Projects, Yakama Nation Requests BPA Release $50 Million In Unspent Fish Accords Funds, Supports Hatchery, Habitat Projects – Columbia Basin Bulletin
The amount disputed is closer to “$25 million that the Tribe had failed to spend over the preceding 17 years,” said BPA’s Wilson said. “We are uncertain what the $50 million figure asserted by Yakama Nation refers to. BPA had previously encouraged the Tribe to spend down that amount and, in 2022, had even eliminated certain Fish Accord spending restrictions to facilitate this.”
Still, Wilson said, BPA remains committed to its ongoing mitigation for impacts of the Federal Columbia River Power System on fish and wildlife in the Basin.
“Each year, BPA’s Fish and Wildlife Program successfully manages and implements a tremendous amount of fish and wildlife mitigation work, and approximately half of the program is executed by parties working without a long-term agreement such as the Fish Accords,” he said.
He added that BPA will continue its fish and wildlife mitigation work, including through a partnership with the Yakama Nation.
“These types of agreements have been a useful tool but are not a requirement for successful implementation of mitigation work,” Wilson said. “We look forward to coordinating with the Tribe on project implementation to ensure the highest priority mitigation work continues uninterrupted.”
The Tribe said last week that it is also concerned about how BPA intends to handle the reclaimed funds – the $50 million – unspent from the Accords.
“Ratepayers have already paid for these mitigation dollars,” said Jeremy Takala, Chair, Yakama Nation Fish & Wildlife Committee. “They must not be swept back into BPA’s general fund—they must be used as intended for fish restoration in key watersheds within Yakama Nation’s historic territory.”
Despite the dispute, the Yakama Nation has said it remains committed to working with BPA to restore Columbia Basin salmon.
For background, see:
— CBB, November 22, 2025, BPA’s Columbia Basin Fish Accords (Salmon Recovery Projects) With States, Tribes Expire; Future Agreements, Use Of Carryover Funds Uncertain, BPA’s Columbia Basin Fish Accords (Salmon Recovery Projects) With States, Tribes Expire; Future Agreements, Use Of Carryover Funds Uncertain – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, Oct. 19, 2025, Judge Denies Feds’ Request To Put Salmon BiOp Case On Hold Due To Shutdown, Plaintiffs Seek Changes To Dam Operations To Aid Fish, Judge Denies Feds’ Request To Put Salmon BiOp Case On Hold Due To Shutdown, Plaintiffs Seek Changes To Dam Operations To Aid Fish – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, September 26, 2025, Judge Sets Schedule For Continuing Litigation Over Columbia River Basin Salmon Recovery; Motions, Briefs Oct. 8 To Jan. 22, 2026, Judge Sets Schedule For Continuing Litigation Over Columbia River Basin Salmon Recovery; Motions, Briefs Oct. 8 To Jan. 22, 2026 – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, September 14, 2025, Plaintiffs Return To Federal Court To Continue Legal Battle Over Columbia Basin Salmon Recovery, Judge Lifts Stay, Plaintiffs Return To Federal Court To Continue Legal Battle Over Columbia Basin Salmon Recovery, Judge Lifts Stay – Columbia Basin Bulletin
— CBB, June 13, 2025, Trump Rescinds Biden’s Executive Order Aimed At Restoring Columbia Basin Salmon, Steelhead Runs, https://columbiabasinbulletin.org/trump-rescinds-bidens-executive-order-aimed-at-restoring-columbia-basin-salmon-steelhead-runs/