Recently news broke in Grist of an agreement brokered by the Bush administration and several Northwest tribes affecting endangered salmon, litigation, and dam operations on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Now that the dust has settled, here is one view of this deal’s details and implications.
First, it is worth highlighting that this deal came during the same week that a government council decided on unprecedented closures for salmon fishing on the West Coast in response to another precipitous drop in salmon stocks, this time on the Sacramento River.
Salmon populations and coastal communities have suffered under the current administration’s science-free salmon policy. This year’s declines on the Sacramento, like recent declines on the other big salmon rivers — the Klamath and Columbia-Snake — can be traced to harmful dams, habitat destruction, and politically driven management decisions and illegal plans by our federal government.
So, what will this agreement mean for Columbia Basin populations and the decades-long courtroom battles?
Like most deals, this one delivers things to both parties. For the tribes, ... Read more
