Trump breaks historic Columbia River deal between U.S. government, tribes, NW states [View all]

[Botany]

I really hate that man. Know nothing idiot … Google Elwha River.

A “historic” deal made two years ago between the U.S. government, four tribes, Northwest states and environmentalists to put legal battles aside and invest in restoring endangered Columbia River fish runs is now off.

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a presidential memorandum withdrawing the U.S. government from a Dec. 14, 2023 agreement to help restore salmon, steelhead and other native fish being decimated by federal hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin. The memorandum refers to the commitments as “onerous,” “misguided” and as placing “concerns about climate change above the nation’s interests in reliable energy resources.”

Snip

“This move by the Trump administration to throw away five years’ worth of progress is shortsighted and reckless,” said Mitch Cutter, a salmon and energy strategist at the Idaho Conservation League, in a statement. “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 Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe were part of the deal. In negotiations, the tribes, along with the states of Oregon and Washington, are referred to as the “six sovereigns.”

“The federal government made a commitment to Washington, Oregon and the Yakama, Umatilla, Nez Perce and Warm Springs tribes to work together to balance the shared goals of abundant salmon and reliable clean energy in the Columbia Basin,” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement. “Today, the Trump administration has callously abandoned that commitment.”

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Trump did this because President Biden listened to the scientists and supported ecological
restoration of natural systems. Not only does this help the salmon, it allows the return of the salmonoid
fishes upstream that help power the supportive capacities of the rivers and streams, allows
food and sediments to enter the ocean which build estuaries that support life and fix CO 2.
Trump just has to fuck things up. It is what he does. Damn I miss Joe Biden.

“This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize infrastructure across the Columbia River Basin, support reliable clean energy, and save imperiled salmon and steelhead runs,” Sen. Murray said in a statement. “The Trump administration’s senseless decision to tear it up is a betrayal of our Tribes and a tremendous setback for the entire Northwest.”

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/06/12/trump-breaks-historic-columbia-river-deal-between-u-s-government-tribes-northwest-states/