Congressman Simpson has proposed the Columbia Basin Fund, a comprehensive infrastructure package to restore wild salmon and steelhead and breach the Lower Snake River dams. The package incorporates measures to protect stakeholders, bolster agricultural communities, ensure energy stability, and revitalize Northwest communities. IRU applauds Congressman Simpson’s proposal and plan.

Portland, OR – Today, Earthjustice on behalf of a coalition of fishing and conservation groups sent a 60-day notice of their intent to return to court to challenge the latest federal plan for hydropower operations on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. This would be the sixth incarnation of a long legal fight focused on restoring endangered salmon and steelhead. The groups sending the notice have won the previous five challenges but the Trump administration continues to pursue essentially the same strategy courts have consistently rejected.