Issues: Fish & Wildlife
Salmon and steelhead are icons of the Pacific Northwest – important to both the region’s culture and economy. Yet many runs in the Columbia River Basin are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Hydroelectric dams that harness the Columbia and Snake Rivers for power production are the biggest killers of these fish and threaten other fish and wildlife. By striking a balance between dams, energy and salmon, we can enjoy clean energy, wild salmon, and healthy fish and wildlife populations.
Jul 21, 2011
A group of salmon advocates is siding with wind developers in their battle against system operator Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
High seasonal river flows resulting from runoff from large snowpacks caused an overabundance of hydropower and left no room on the grid to accommodate wind power. This led the BPA to curtail wind production this spring, which angered wind developers and prompted them to file a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in June.
Read the full article online.
Jun 10, 2011
New federal salmon bill introduced Taxpayer groups, fishermen, businesses, clean energy advocates and conservation organizations applaud bi-partisan legislation WASHINGTON— Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), joined by 10 additional co-sponsors from across the nation, introduced the Salmon Solutions and Planning Act (H.R. 2111) in the House of Representatives on June 3. If […]
Mar 22, 2011
West coast fishermen and fishing businesses today thank the Nez Perce Tribe and the State of Oregon for successfully advocating to retain court-ordered levels of water spilled over federal dams in the Columbia and Snake Rivers during the 2011 spring salmon migration. This spill has been a key reason for recent improvements in salmon returns, although numbers are still far below levels needed to sustain healthy salmon populations.
Oct 29, 2010
A coalition of fishing, business, and conservation organizations asked a federal judge today to declare President Obama’s Columbia and Snake river salmon recovery plan illegal…
Oct 5, 2010
On September 22, forty-two conservation, fishing, clean energy and outdoor organizations from across the Pacific Northwest delivered letters to the members of congress in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.
The organizations express grave concerns about the potential impacts and risks to our communities, businesses, and environment if Exxon’s is successful in establishing a brand-new “high and wide” mega-industrial transportation corridor through the heart of the Pacific Northwest.
Aug 16, 2010
Bob Rees of the Northwest Guides and Anglers Association has an editorial in The Oregonian today on how changes to the dam system recommended by scientists and fishermen are bringing back wild salmon. But we still have farther to go.
Aug 1, 2010
Working Snake River for Washington, a collaboration of clean energy proponents, conservationists, salmon and orca advocates, commercial and recreational fishermen, farmers and businesses, is a response to the government’s two-decade, multi-billion-dollar failure to craft a lawful, science-based federal plan that protects the Columbia Basin’s endangered wild salmon and steelhead.
Jun 16, 2010
On Tuesday, 120 Western Washington business owners and community leaders wrote to U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell urging their leadership in solving the Northwest salmon crisis. The open letter to the senators also appears as a full-page ad in today’s Puget Sound-based weekly, the Stranger.
These leaders want the senators to bring together all interests —farmers, fishermen, energy users, business owners and local communities — to craft a durable, science-based and economically viable salmon restoration plan. They acknowledge past tensions surrounding the salmon issue, but note the enormous economic opportunity if Washington can forge an effective long-term solution.
May 26, 2010
A federal judge repeatedly warned the federal government that only big changes to proposals for hydro dams would guarantee approval. Instead, the Obama administration has presented a plan that looks very much like the Bush strategy.
Read the full article on Crosscut.com
May 7, 2010
On April 19, British Columbia’s government announced its decision to move ahead with the highly controversial Site C hydropower project on the Peace River in northeast B.C.
Environmentalists, clean-energy advocates, tribes and other affected communities question the need for the $6.6 billion, 900-megawatt plant and cite both its shaky economics and environmental impacts…
