Support salmon, justice, and clean energy in the Pacific Northwest

Salmon are the spiritual and cultural icon of the Pacific Northwest and a critical component of the Northwest’s economy. Unfortunately, Snake River salmon runs, once the most prolific in the entire Columbia River Basin, are now at the brink of extinction. The loss of salmon is sending a shockwave through the web of life, especially the critically endangered, salmon-loving, Southern Resident killer whales. Loss of salmon is also an existential threat to Northwest Indigenous tribes who depend on salmon for their cultures and identities.

Scientists say that removing four federal dams on the lower Snake River in eastern Washington must be part of any plan to recover Snake River salmon.

The choice is clear. We can either choose the status quo— which looks like salmon extinction, increasing energy insecurity, broken commitments to Indigenous tribes and the loss of a multi-million dollar natural economic resource— or we can choose a comprehensive solution that invests in a future of abundance and prosperity with the biggest river restoration effort the world has ever seen.

Please ask your Member of Congress to build on Congressman Simpson’s proposal and advance a solution that brings back salmon, honors treaties and commitment to the tribes, invests in clean energy and agriculture and strengthens the economy of the Pacific Northwest. Ask them to include this solution in President Biden’s national infrastructure legislation.

Support salmon, justice, and clean energy in the Pacific Northwest

Subject:

Saving Northwest salmon requires bold action now

Dear Senators Murray and Cantwell, and Representative Kilmer,

I write to express my support for a comprehensive, bipartisan solution to recovering Columbia-Snake salmon that will benefit the Pacific Northwest’s economy and way of life.

Traveling more than 900 miles from the ocean to the mountains of Idaho in one of the longest high-elevation fish runs on earth, abundant salmon and steelhead once filled the Columbia and Snake rivers and supported an entire web of life for eons. Unfortunately, Snake River salmon runs, a national treasure, are dangerously close to extinction today.

Four federal dams on the lower Snake River in Eastern Washington have turned 140 miles of cool, flowing river into a series of warm, stagnant, predator-filled reservoirs. The dams and these hostile conditions impede and kill salmon migrating to and from the Pacific Ocean. Snake River salmon returns plummeted by over 90 percent following construction of Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite dams in the 1970s.

The loss of salmon has affected the Northwest’s entire web of life, from black bears to Southern Resident orcas. It also poses an existential threat to Northwest Native American tribes who depend on the fish for their cultures and identities. Despite an excess of $17 billion in investments for salmon recovery over the past four decades, none of the Snake River salmon protected under the Endangered Species Act have recovered.

Scientists say that removing four dams on the lower Snake River in eastern Washington must be the cornerstone of any credible Snake basin salmon recovery plan. It is estimated that by 2080 the Snake River Basin will provide two-thirds of the coldest, most climate resilient stream habitats for salmon and steelhead on the West Coast. The fish need to get to and from this habitat safely.

Commercial, sport and tribal salmon fishing generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually in the Northwest and sustains thousands of jobs, especially in economically hard-pressed rural communities. But those jobs are vanishing along with the salmon.

In February 2021, Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID) unveiled a $33.5 billion framework that includes critical river restoration measures region wide, including but not limited to the restoration of the lower Snake River by removal of the four dams. It would be the biggest river and salmon restoration effort in history. His proposal also includes investments to replace the energy produced at the dams, upgrade transportation and irrigation services that the lower Snake River dams currently provide, and support other vital community needs.

I urge you to work with your fellow Members of Congress to develop a comprehensive solution that would benefit not only the Northwest, but also the nation as a whole by restoring salmon runs, bolstering clean energy, strengthening the economy, and honoring our treaties and commitments to Native American tribes.

Congressional leaders from both major political parties should introduce legislation and ensure it advances as part of President Biden’s national infrastructure legislation.

Sincerely, Your Name

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