Trump Administration Reneges on Deal to Save Salmon in the Northwest

What happened: President Trump abruptly withdrew the federal government from a landmark deal to restore Columbia River Basin fisheries, invest in tribal clean energy projects, and plan for breaching of the four lower Snake River dams.

Why it matters: Salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin persist at dangerously low levels with some populations on the brink of extinction. The Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, signed in December 2023, was a turning point in a long-standing effort to protect and restore Columbia Basin salmon. The agreement acknowledged the role federal dams have played in decimating salmon in the region and supported efforts to replace energy and other services provided by the dams — in preparation for eventually breaching them if authorized by Congress.

The Trump administration’s decision to abandon the agreement continues the administration’s pattern of breaking promises, ignoring science, and devaluing our iconic lands and wildlife. But the fight for Columbia Basin salmon is far from over.

For three decades, Earthjustice has represented fishing, environmental, and clean energy groups in court battles to protect fish in the Columbia and Snake rivers. A multi-year stay of that litigation was part of the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, as long as progress was being made toward implementation of the agreement. That agreement is now broken, and we are assessing next steps with clients and partners, including likely litigation.

The undoing of a historic agreement

• The Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement promised increased funding for salmon recovery projects, new tribal clean energy projects, and analyses of how to replace services provided by four dams on the lower Snake River that are lethal to salmon. Parties to the agreement included multiple federal agencies, four lower Columbia Basin tribes, the states of Washington and Oregon, and Earthjustice plaintiffs including conservation, fishing, and clean energy groups.
• A turning point: When the agreement was signed in 2023, it was hailed as a victory in the long-standing effort to protect and restore Columbia Basin salmon, including species that face extinction without urgent and bold action.
• Another broken promise: The Trump administration’s decision this month to abandon the agreement ignores tribal treaty rights, jeopardizes clean energy development, and undermines decades of work to restore the region’s rivers, ecosystems, and economies.

Tribal and community efforts undermined

• Commitments broken: The Trump administration’s withdrawal halts federal support for tribal-led clean energy initiatives and long-overdue efforts to honor treaty rights.
• Ignoring science: It also ignores the science on the need for urgent action to prevent extinction and how best to rebuild healthy and abundant salmon.
• A pattern of chaos: The administration’s actions follow months of reversals and uncertainty, including federal funding grab-backs and defunding climate action.

We won’t stop fighting for salmon

• Earthjustice and its partners are committed to using every legal and advocacy tool possible to not only prevent salmon extinction but restore healthy abundance in the Northwest’s rivers.
• Looking forward: “The agreement formed the basis for the stay of litigation, so without the agreement, there is no longer any basis for a stay,” says Earthjustice attorney Amanda Goodin. Earthjustice will pursue all available tools to prevent extinction and advocate for healthy and abundant salmon in the Columbia Basin. The Trump administration may have turned its back on salmon, but we never will. We’ll fight in every forum to keep making progress toward healthy and abundant salmon and a thriving region.