The White House has announced the intent to nominate Northwest Power and Conservation Council member Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III as Director of the National Park Service. The nomination will now be considered by the U.S. Senate. Sams has represented Oregon on the Council since April.

The Oregon Legislature’s passage of House Bill 3114 is “another historic Oregon first in the fight against ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH) and shows Oregon leaders' awareness of the importance of healthy oceans,” said the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in a press release.

Washington is beginning a review of its surface water quality standards and is seeking public input until September 16.

Defendants in the latest challenge to the Columbia/Snake River biological opinion for salmon and steelhead and final environmental impact statement have questioned the cross-claims of the Columbia-Snake River Irrigators Association, saying the irrigators lack jurisdiction.

A federal judge in Oregon has set a schedule for future litigation proceedings in the eighth challenge since 2001 to the federal biological opinion for threatened and endangered Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead. Activity begins this month and extends out to at least August 2022 when final summary judgement briefs are due to the court.

Treaty Indian tribes in western Washington strongly support state legislation passed by the state House of Representatives this week that calls for placing a statue of the late natural resources and civil rights champion Billy Frank Jr. in the National Statuary Hall in the nation’s Capitol Building. The statue would replace the Marcus Whitman likeness.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte appointed Doug Grob to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, while changes are also coming to Oregon representation.

The Washington Department of Ecology will be holding an informational meeting on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Total Maximum Daily Load for Temperature in the Columbia and Lower Snake Rivers on January 28.