Library Search

Fishing for steelhead on the Clearwater River, upriver from its confluence with the Snake River in Lewiston, Idaho. (Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice)
Press Release March 6, 2024

Washington State Legislature Funds Recreational Study Connected to Columbia Basin Restoration

The new recreation study joins three previously-funded studies on how to best replace energy, transportation and irrigation services now provided by the lower Snake River Dams

Snake River's blue waters stand out against green landscape with Teton Mountain Range ascending in the background. Grand Tetons National Park, Teton County, Wyoming. (Edwin Remsberg / Getty Images)
Press Release February 23, 2024

Earthjustice Plaintiffs Join in White House Ceremony Uplifting Historic Columbia Basin Restoration Agreement

The landmark restoration agreement was announced in December and approved by the court earlier this month

Document February 22, 2024

60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue for Violations of Sections 7 and 9 of the Endangered Species Act: Swinomish Indian Tribal Community/Lower Skagit River

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency based on the State Department of Ecology failure to implement a 20 year-old water clean-up plan to address warm stream temperatures in the Lower Skagit River that cause ongoing harm to salmon.

A fishing crew member carries a salmon to the hold of boat in Washington State. (Thomas Barwick / Getty images)
Press Release February 22, 2024

Swinomish Tribal Community Demands EPA Act to Stop Harm to Lower Skagit River Salmon From Temperature Pollution

Ongoing violations of temperature standards for 20 years harm ESA-listed salmon populations; Tribe provides notice to sue EPA

The Puyallup River, with Mount Tahoma (Rainier) in the background. (David Seibold / CC BY-NC 2.0)
Update February 22, 2024

In a Win for Endangered Salmon, Court Orders Puyallup River Dam Removal

Electron Dam has been harming Chinook salmon, steelhead, and trout for nearly 100 years. With part of the dam gone, the river will flow naturally for the first time in almost a century.

The Puyallup River, with Mount Tahoma (Rainier) in the background. (David Seibold / CC BY-NC 2.0)
Press Release: Victory February 16, 2024

Court Rules “Temporary” Structure at Electron Dam Site Violates Endangered Species Act

Ruling will mean a free-flowing Puyallup River for fish for the first time in more than 100 years

Document February 16, 2024

Electron Dam Summary Judgment Order

A portion of Washington’s Electron Dam must be removed from the Puyallup River following a historic district court ruling. The decision will allow water to flow naturally along the river for the first time in nearly 100 years.

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. (iStock)
Press Release: Victory February 14, 2024

Mining Proposal Rejected for Maine’s Katahdin Region

Decision comes after overwhelming opposition from Wabanaki Tribes, local businesses, and conservation groups

Sun sets on a dammed section of the Snake River in between Lower Granite dam and Lewiston, ID, near Chief Timothy Park. (Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice)
Press Release February 8, 2024

Oregon’s U.S. District Court Approves Long-Term Pause of Snake River Litigation, Allowing Columbia River Restoration to Move Forward

Judge rejects requests by opponents to disapprove agreement

Document February 8, 2024

Order Granting Snake River Litigation Stay

A federal judge in Oregon approved a long-term pause in Snake River litigation allowing a tribal-state plan and U.S. government commitments to restore the Columbia River Basin to continue.

The Tongass is America’s largest national forest.
(Brian Logan / U.S. Forest Service)
Press Release January 30, 2024

Alaska Native Tribes, Southeast Alaska Businesses and Forest Advocates Defend Tongass National Forest’s Roadless Rule

Legal intervention seeks to retain forest protections that support Tribes, communities, and sustainable local economies

View of the Tulsequah River, looking east towards the confluence with Taku River.
(Photo courtesy of Chris Miller / Trout Unlimited)
case January 10, 2024

Defending Watersheds in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia from Impacts of Mining

The Taku, Stikine, and Unuk rivers flow across the Canada-United States border, from headwaters in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia through Southeast Alaska to the sea. These watersheds are some of the largest and most productive salmon habitats remaining in the world. Alaska Native and First Nations peoples have harvested salmon and caribou from…

Orcas in Puget Sound. (Tifotter / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
case January 8, 2024

Protecting Salmon and Orcas from Puget Sound Wastewater Pollution

Working with four nonprofit environmental organizations — Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, RE Sources, Toxic-Free Future, and Waste Action Project — Earthjustice is advocating for more stringent pollution controls for the wastewater treatment plant to help protect salmon, orcas, and people.

An endangered female orca leaps from the water while breaching in Puget Sound west of Seattle. The orca is from the J pod, one of three groups of southern resident killer whales that frequent the inland waters of Washington state.  (Elaine Thompson / AP)
Article December 14, 2023

Northwest Tribes Demand Action for Salmon and Orca Restoration

Tribes call for dam removal and restoration of healthy salmon and orca populations during emotional two-day summit.

Sockeye salmon in Little Redfish Lake Creek, a tributary of the Snake River. (Neil Ever Osborne / Save Our Wild Salmon)
feature December 14, 2023

Timeline: A Long Fight to Restore Snake River Salmon

Learn about the major events, court rulings, and where we are now in this long-standing fight.

An adult salmon navigates through the fish ladder counting room at the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River. (Brian Plonka for Earthjustice)
Press Release December 14, 2023

U.S. Government Sets a Path to Breach the Four Lower Snake River Dams

The Biden administration commits considerable federal resources to support the restoration of native fish populations and prepare for dam breaching

Lower Granite Dam. One of the four lower Snake River dams that Earthjustice is fighting to remove. (Chris Jordan-Bloch / Earthjustice)
Update December 14, 2023

The Government Just Took a Big Step Toward Breaching Salmon-Killing Dams

The Biden administration released a plan for restoring endangered salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest.

Document December 14, 2023

Snake River Litigation: Factsheet on the United States Government Commitments

The United States Government Commitments, developed as part of a lengthy mediation process, pledge the federal government to continued support for the recovery of healthy and abundant salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin, provide significant federal funding to the Northwest, assist region-wide efforts and planning to address climate change, and set the region on a path to breach the four lower Snake River dams.