Reaction was swift over President Trump’s decision to terminate the federal government’s “Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement,” with parties both condemning and celebrating the move.
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation:
The Trump Administration today issued a Presidential Memorandum terminating the federal government’s December 2023 Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement with the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Perce tribes, and the states of Washington and Oregon. This landmark agreement supported federal investments in a comprehensive plan for salmon restoration, energy development, and transportation infrastructure in the Columbia Basin.
Crucially, it also provided a long-term stay of ongoing Endangered Species Act litigation over federal hydrosystem operations – litigation the United States has consistently lost in federal court for the past several decades.
“The Administration’s abrupt termination of the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement jeopardizes not only tribal Treaty-reserved resources but also the stability of energy, transportation, and water resources essential to the region’s businesses, farms, and families,” stated Yakama Tribal Council Chairman Gerald Lewis. “This agreement was designed to foster collaborative and informed resource management and energy development in the Pacific Northwest, including significant tribal energy initiatives. The Administration’s decision to terminate these commitments echoes the federal government’s historic pattern of broken promises to tribes, and is contrary to President Trump’s stated commitment to domestic energy development.”
“The Yakama Nation is deeply disappointed by this unilateral decision to terminate the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, particularly without prior consultation,” Chairman Lewis emphasized. “The federal government’s historic river management approach is unsustainable and will lead to salmon extinction. Courtroom battles cannot provide the innovative, holistic solutions we need. This termination will severely disrupt vital fisheries restoration efforts, eliminate certainty for hydro operations, and likely result in increased energy costs and regional instability.”
“The Yakama Nation remains committed to collaborative efforts to restore healthy and abundant Columbia Basin fisheries, working alongside our tribal, state, federal, and regional partners,” affirmed Yakama Fish & Wildlife Committee Chair Jeremy Takala. “The economic and ecological well-being of our region and our Nation depends on healthy salmon populations, as mandated by our Treaty rights. We reserved the right to actually catch fish, not merely the right to dip our nets into barren waters.”
Nez Perce Tribe:
“This action tries to hide from the truth. The Nez Perce Tribe holds a duty to speak the truth for the salmon, and the truth is that extinction of salmon populations is happening now,” stated Shannon Wheeler, Chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe. “People across the Northwest know this, and people across the Nation have supported us in a vision for preventing salmon extinction that would at the same time create a stronger and better future for the Northwest. This remains the shared vision of the states of Washington and Oregon, and the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs and Nez Perce tribes, as set out in our Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative. It is a vision we believe is supported, publicly or privately, by most people in the Northwest. And it is a vision underlaid by the treaties of our Northwest tribes, by the U.S. Constitution that protects those treaties, and by the federal statutes enacted by Congress to protect salmon and other species from extinction.”
Confederated Tribes Of Warm Springs:
Earlier today, the Trump administration announced, through Executive Order, that the federal government would be withdrawing its commitments from the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement (RCBA), a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the states of Oregon and Washington, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the National Wildlife Federation and the U.S. government.
This MOU, signed on Dec. 14, 2023, led to the court ordered stay of over 30 years of litigation in the Columbia Basin. It was a plan to comprehensively restore Columbia River Basin salmon and other native fish populations to healthy and abundant levels, honor federal commitments to Tribal Nations, deliver affordable and reliable clean power, and meet the many resilience needs of stakeholders across the region.
Please consider the following statement from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs:
“The right to take fish from our traditional usual and accustomed fishing areas was reserved in our 1855 Treaty with the United States government. We gave much, including millions of acres of our land, but reserved these rights to steward the Creator’s gifts: the fish we rely upon to feed our people and continue our culture, and the clean water to sustain them.
“The RCBA was a commitment from the United States government to honor its obligations to ensure healthy, thriving fish stocks through investing in hatcheries, improving fish passage throughout the Columbia River, and improving fish habitat and was the result of years of coordination and collaboration among the regions’ sovereigns and fish managers. We hope that the federal government recognizes the importance of these agreements and will work with our nations to identify new ways to collaborate to improve the health of our fisheries.
“The Columbia River Treaty Tribes’ very future depends on our salmon. While this decision will challenge our efforts, we remain committed to our efforts to restore these critical Treaty resources.”
Plaintiffs Represented by Earthjustice:
President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum today to unilaterally and abruptly withdraw the federal government’s support for the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, a comprehensive partnership to restore the basin’s imperiled salmon, steelhead and other native fisheries to health and abundance. The agreement promised increased funding for fisheries projects and infrastructure, a federal-state partnership to analyze replacement of the energy, transportation, irrigation and recreation services provided by four dams on the lower Snake River, and investments in new tribal clean energy projects.
When the historic agreement was signed in December 2023, it was widely hailed as a turning point in the long-standing effort to protect and restore Columbia Basin salmon that could face extinction without urgent and bold action. Parties to the agreement included multiple federal agencies, four Columbia Basin tribes — the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs — the states of Washington and Oregon, and Earthjustice plaintiffs including conservation, fishing, and clean energy groups.
In a fact sheet that accompanied the Presidential Memorandum, the White House also said that it is revoking a Presidential Memorandum signed by President Biden in September 2023 that preceded the agreement and supported native fish restoration across the basin.
The Columbia agreement had set the Northwest on a path to implement a comprehensive blueprint developed by the tribes and states for Columbia Basin recovery that addressed native fish recovery alongside the region’s energy, transportation, irrigation, and recreation needs. The agreement, while it was in place, also formed the basis for a long-term stay of litigation over the operation of federally-owned hydroelectric dams that are lethal to salmon.
For months, Earthjustice and its partners have sought to secure the continued implementation of the agreement even as the Trump administration cut funding for salmon restoration programs and replacement service studies, forced out experienced federal employees, and created chaos within the federal government. While the administration’s decision to abandon the agreement continues its pattern of breaking promises, ignoring science, and devaluing our iconic lands and wildlife, the fight for Columbia Basin salmon is far from over. Earthjustice and the conservation, fishing, and clean energy groups it represents will continue to use all available tools to prevent extinction and advocate for rebuilding healthy and abundant salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin.
The following statements are from Earthjustice and our plaintiffs:
“The Trump administration is turning its back on an unprecedented opportunity to support a thriving Columbia Basin — and ignoring the extinction crisis facing our salmon,” said Earthjustice Senior Attorney Amanda Goodin. “Unfortunately, this short-sighted decision to renege on this important agreement is just the latest in a series of anti-government and anti-science actions coming from the Trump administration. This administration may be giving up on our salmon, but we will keep fighting to prevent extinction and realize win-win solutions for the region.”
“Withdrawing from this agreement that set the Northwest on a path to restore the Columbia Basin’s once fabled salmon and steelhead is wrongheaded and counterproductive,” said Sierra Club Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign Director Bill Arthur. “Commitments were made by the federal government in December 2023 to restore these salmon and honor tribal treaty rights. This decision sets all of that back, but the good news is that Northwest tribes and the states of Oregon and Washington will continue to lead these basin restoration efforts – and we will rally to support them.”
“The Northwest power system is in transition and the Columbia Basin Agreement created a unique opportunity to lead the nation in coordinating clean energy development and salmon recovery efforts.” said NW Energy Coalition Executive Director Nancy Hirsh. “Withdrawing from this collaborative effort is short-sighted and harmful to the reliability of our grid. This agreement was always broader than dam removal — it offered a comprehensive, strategic and positive approach to not only restore salmon and the basin, but to also ensure abundant, affordable and reliable clean energy across the region.”
“We are proud to continue to support the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and its goal of restoring abundant, harvestable runs of salmon,” said Columbia Riverkeeper Legal Director Miles Johnson. “The Trump administration’s short-sighted decision to end this agreement will hurt river communities and interrupt — but not derail — our region’s progress and strong partnerships for salmon recovery and Lower Snake River dam removal,”
“The administration’s decision to abandon these commitments is exceptionally shortsighted and deeply troubling,” said Idaho Rivers United’s Executive Director Greg McReynolds. “We know wild Columbia-Snake River salmon exist on borrowed time. We also know what we must do to reverse their march toward extinction – and we had started down that path under the agreement. The federal government’s withdrawal from these commitments will harm these iconic and incredibly important species and set back economic development and wellbeing of the entire Pacific Northwest as we face growing needs to modernize our energy grid and transportation infrastructure.”
“This agreement had set us on a path to restore a strong fishing economy, honor tribal treaty rights and secure a bright future across the Northwest. To throw away this innovative agreement that engaged stakeholders across the region to restore Columbia Basin fisheries to abundance while also building a clean energy future and modernizing our region’s transportation is a waste,” said Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association Policy Director Liz Hamilton. “It’s a big loss for the Northwest’s economy, and a dagger to the heart of our industry. The sportfishing industry is a cultural and economic engine generating over $5 billion in economic output for the region, creating jobs for nearly 37,000. If we lose our irreplaceable salmon, we’ll lose this too.”
“This move by the Trump administration to throw away five years’ worth of progress is shortsighted and reckless,” said Idaho Conservation League Salmon & Energy Strategist Mitch Cutter. “The Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement was a landmark achievement between the federal government, states, Tribes, and salmon advocates to find solutions for salmon and stay out of the courtroom. Now, it’s gone thanks to the uninformed impulses of a disconnected Administration that doesn’t understand the Pacific Northwest and the rivers and fish that make our region special. The Idaho Conservation League will continue to do what it must to safeguard our wild fish and restore them to true abundance.”
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, representing Tri-Cities and central Washington:
Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement on President Donald Trump’s memorandum revoking the Biden administration’s executive actions targeting the Lower Snake River dams.
“Throughout my time in Congress, I have stood firm in my support for the Lower Snake River Dams and the critical role they play in our region’s economy,” said Rep. Newhouse.
“Today’s action by President Trump reverses the efforts by the Biden administration and extreme environmental activists to remove the dams, which would have threatened the reliability of our power grid, raised energy prices, and decimated our ability to export grain to foreign markets. I want to thank the President for his decisive action to protect our dams, and I look forward to continuing to work with the administration for the benefit of the Fourth District.”
The Memorandum signed today revokes the Biden Administration’s “Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin” Memorandum.
This Memorandum directs the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to withdraw from agreements stemming from Biden’s misguided executive action, including the December 14, 2023, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) filed in connection with related litigation.
The specified agencies will coordinate with the Council on Environmental Quality to review and revise environmental review processes related to the matters in the MOU, save federal funds, and withdraw from the MOU.
During his tenure in Congress, Newhouse has led the charge in combating efforts to breach the four Lower Snake River dams.
In March of this year, Newhouse led a coalition of lawmakers from the Pacific Northwest, backed by regional stakeholders, in introducing a package of legislation to protect the Lower Snake River dams and strengthen hydropower as a reliable, affordable source of base load energy.
In January of this year, Newhouse and Senator Jim Risch of Idaho introduced the Northwest Energy Security Act to require the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ensure the Lower Snake River dams remain operational and continue to support the region’s energy needs.
In October 2024, Newhouse criticized the Biden administration for wasting taxpayer dollars on more studies to find ways to replace the energy produced by the dams.
In June 2024, Newhouse opposed the Biden administration’s creation of a politically motivated Columbia River Taskforce, made up only of administration officials, to find ways to breach the dams.
In March 2024, Newhouse called out Secretary Jennifer Granholm in a hearing for refusing to acknowledge the long-term implications of the Columbia River Systems Operation Agreement are a de-facto breach of the Snake River Dams.
In December 2023, Newhouse slammed the Biden administration’s announcement of a package of actions and commitments in the Columbia River System Operations (CRSO) mediation.
In September 2023, Newhouse led a letter to then-Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallary addressing the lack of public and stakeholder input throughout the mediation process of the four Lower Snake River dams.
In June 2023, Newhouse hosted the House Natural Resources Committee for a field hearing in Pasco, Washington on the importance of protecting the dams on the Snake River.
In August 2022, Newhouse held a rally with over 100 community members from the Tri-Cities in Howard Amon Park to show support for the Lower Snake River Dams.
Inland Ports and Navigation Group:
The Inland Ports & Navigation Group (IPNG) supports President Trump’s executive action today to rescind the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the six sovereigns regarding the management of the Columbia Snake River system.
“The MOU put our region on a path toward breaching the 4 lower Snake River dams, failing to consider the devastating economic impact such action would have on the region and the vital role that the river system plays in supporting the Pacific Northwest and national economy”, said IPNG Co-Chair, Leslie Druffel of the McGregor Company. “We’d like to thank our congressional advocates, including Representatives Baumgartner (5th-WA), Bentz (2nd-OR), Newhouse (4th-WA), and Fulcher (1st-ID) as well as Senators Crapo (ID) and Risch (ID) for the continuous support for reliable and efficient navigation on the river system.”
President Trump’s decision to rescind the MOU is a significant step towards ensuring the continued prosperity of the Pacific Northwest. The Columbia Snake River system is a critical transportation route for the region, as well as for agriculture producers in the upper Midwest, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and contributing billions of dollars to the economy each year. It is the largest wheat export gateway in the U.S.
“Dams and salmon can co-exist,” said IPNG Co-Chair Patrick Harbison, of the Port of Kalama (WA). “In fact, salmon runs have actually increased since the construction of the dams due to state-of-the-art bypass systems and fish ladders that were installed at each of the dams on the system.”
Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (of which IPNG is a part) Executive Director Neil Maunu stated, “The divisive issue of dam breaching has prevented the type of partnerships necessary to work together on productive strategies and actions to improve salmon populations for the benefit of all Pacific Northwest residents.” IPNG supports a comprehensive approach to salmon recovery in the region that focuses on projects that truly benefit salmon, such as reintroduction above Grand Coulee, habitat access and restoration, predator abatement, toxics reduction, and hatchery improvements. “We can have salmon and a robust economy at the same time”, said Maunu.
Washington Association of Wheat Growers:
The Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG) applauds today’s Presidential Memorandum revoking the Dec. 14, 2023, Memorandum of Understanding filed by the Biden administration.
“We appreciate the efforts of the Trump administration to ensure that the dams remain intact while protecting the integrity of the river system and salmon populations. Washington’s wheat industry relies on the continued operation of dams along the Columbia-Snake River System,” said WAWG Executive Director Michelle Hennings. “Over 60 % of Washington wheat exports utilize the river system, which is essential for supporting a thriving overseas export market along with providing nearly 4,000 jobs in the region.”
WAWG has been engaged on this issue for many years and is encouraged by the actions of the administration to protect the dams. The actions taken through this announcement reflect an understanding of not only the needs of family farmers and ranchers, but the totality of the regional economy. We look forward to working with the Trump administration to protect critical transportation networks for U.S. agriculture products as well as the many other benefits the dams provide, such as clean energy generation and recreational access. WAWG thanks Congressman Dan Newhouse for his long-standing advocacy of Marine Highway 84 and as well as support from Congressman Michael Baumgartner and the rest of the Washington state congressional delegation for their continued leadership in Washington, D.C., to protect the integrity of the Columbia Basin River System, particularly the lower Snake River dams.
Idaho Republican U.S. Sen. James Risch:
U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) released the following statement today celebrating President Trump’s move to undo the Biden administration’s disastrous “Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative.”
“The Biden administration’s one-sided, backroom agreement blatantly disregarded the essential role the lower Snake River dams play and the Idaho communities that rely on them,” said Risch. “Today’s announcement by President Trump represents a return to sound science and common-sense. I’ve long fought the attempts by radical Democrats, unelected bureaucrats, and activist litigants to tear down our dams. Congress authorized these dams, and only Congress has the power to remove them.”
The four hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River provide multiple benefits to Idaho and the region, including:
- Transportation of agricultural products, including more than 15 million metric tons of wheat in 2020 with nearly 10% of all U.S. wheat moving out on the Snake River alone;
- $686 million in jobs and businesses associated with Idaho’s Port of Lewiston, the furthest inland port on the West Coast;
- A 95% emission-free power portfolio generated by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), allowing small public utilities across the Northwest to lead in clean energy production;
- Clean, always-on energy that can uniquely keep the lights on during extreme weather events where relying on wind and solar would cause blackouts; and
- Irrigation.
Risch has been a staunch defender of the lower Snake River dams and introduced the Northwest Energy Security Act to protect the operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System.
Following the release of the agreement, approved by the Biden administration on December 14, 2023, Risch chastised the Biden administration’s dam breaching efforts and its failure to consult Idahoans who rely on the Columbia River System.
Northwest RiverPartners:
The Trump Administration announced today it would withdraw from the 2023 Federal Columbia River Power System settlement, known as the “12/14 Agreement.”
The agreement was reached by the Biden Administration and the Six Sovereigns, which includes the States of Oregon and Washington, the Nez Perce Tribe, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation.
The 12/14 Agreement and its resulting commitments were developed during six months of secret negotiations that excluded the States of Idaho and Montana and organizations representing the voices of millions of people in the Pacific Northwest, including NW RiverPartners. The agreement and its implementation threatened to dramatically increase the chance of blackouts and customer electricity bills.
“Now is the time to come together and chart a sustainable path toward effective solutions that protect salmon and maintain affordable and reliable hydropower needed by millions of people in the Pacific Northwest,” says Clark Mather, executive director of Northwest RiverPartners. “This politicized agreement between the former administration and only a fraction of impacted sovereign entities, devalued hydropower, our region’s largest source of affordable, clean electricity. Northwest RiverPartners remains committed to working with all sovereign Tribes, state leaders and other stakeholders to identify science-based, durable solutions.”
During the process, NW RiverPartners submitted nearly 40 comments and studies on behalf of its members. Yet, no meaningful effort was made to include the perspective of the millions of electric utility customers, ports, agricultural organizations and businesses that NW RiverPartners represents. Lacking representation and transparency, concerns were raised about the durability and outcome of the agreement.
Strong public support for hydropower and growing affordability challenges further highlight how critical a secure and sustainable energy ecosystem is for our region’s future. An October 2024 survey, administered by research firm DHM, found that three in four Pacific Northwest residents support hydropower produced by dams across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. 84 percent of Pacific Northwest residents ranked electricity affordability as their top concern in the same survey.
In addition to undermining our region’s energy needs, the agreement threatened food production, regional water supplies and our river transportation system, which would have drastically impacted the region’s economy. Further, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the agreement ignored the serious threat of rising sea surface temperatures, deemed the most significant cause of salmon declines in the Pacific Basin.
Fish returns have more than tripled since federal dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers began operating. More than 456,000 adult salmon and steelhead were counted in 1938 when Bonneville Dam, the first federal dam on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, was built. In 2024, that number topped 1,770,000, which is 3.8 times more fish than in 1938.
“The livelihood of Washington wheat growers and rural communities depends on their ability to utilize key benefits from the Columbia River System, including transportation, irrigation, and reliable energy, but without the Lower Snake River dams that won’t be possible. We look forward to working with the federal government and all policymakers to ensure dams and salmon can continue to coexist, and we stand firm in our support of sound science and reliable data to make informed decisions,” says Michelle Hennings, Executive Director, Washington Association of Wheat Growers.