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Interior Casts Critical Eye on Columbia River Dams by Jennifer Yachnin Greenwire, June 20, 2024

A report issued by the Interior Department looked at how
struggling salmon and steelhead populations affect tribal nations.

The Biden administration this week detailed the "devastating impact" that 11 federal dams in the Columbia River Basin inflicted on Native American tribes in the region, in a first look at how its agencies could pursue efforts -- including the breaching of dams -- to restore salmon and steelhead populations.

The Interior Department on Tuesday issued the report as part of a $1 billion settlement agreement in a long-running federal lawsuit over hydropower operations on the Snake and Columbia rivers. Tribal nations with rights to access and use the rivers have argued that the dams decimated Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead populations, along with other species.

"Acknowledging the devastating impact of federal hydropower dams on Tribal communities is essential to our efforts to heal and ensure that salmon are restored to their ancestral waters," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.

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Related Pages:
NOAA: Breaching Snake River Dams 'Essential' to Save Salmon by Jennifer Yachnin, Greenwire, 7/12/22 Washington Punts on Fate of Lower Snake River Dams by Jeremy P. Jacobs, Greenwire, 12/23/19