Washington Gov. Jay Inslee directed Washington state agencies to take all actions necessary, in cooperation with the state of Oregon and four lower Columbia Basin treaty tribes, to fulfill the State of Washington’s commitments to the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative (CBRI).

Washington’s Executive order 24-06, issued yesterday and accompanied by an article by Gov. Inslee, reaffirms Washington’s commitment to work in partnership to restore abundant salmon populations across Washington State including the Columbia River Basin to honor treaty obligations to Northwest Tribes.

“Columbia Basin salmon are running out of time, and we are grateful to Gov. Inslee for his visionary leadership to ensure these fish will survive for future generations,” said Abby Tinsley, vice president for conservation policy for the National Wildlife Federation. “With this executive order, Washington state joins the state of Oregon in a critical step that builds the momentum needed to save the region’s renowned salmon runs from extinction, and — of paramount importance — make good on commitments to Northwest Tribes.”

“This executive order by Gov. Inslee, along with similar bold action taken by Oregon Gov. Kotek in September, affirms our region’s commitment to restore the Pacific Northwest’s imperiled and irreplaceable salmon populations to healthy and harvestable abundance,” said Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association Policy Director Liz Hamilton. “We will continue to work in partnership with states, tribes, the federal government, lawmakers, plus diverse stakeholders and partners across the Pacific Northwest, to make this vision reality in a timeframe that prevents further extinctions.”

“This executive order is a welcome step forward for Washington and Pacific Northwest salmon. In particular, the CBRI’s comprehensive vision for Columbia Basin restoration continues to offer the strongest path forward for these imperiled native fisheries, and the greatest promise for our region,” said the Sierra Club’s Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign Director Bill Arthur. “If we continue on this path together, we can restore native fisheries and uphold tribal treaty obligations while also modernizing our region’s energy, irrigation, and transportation infrastructure in a way that strengthens the Northwest’s resilience, provides customers with affordable and reliable clean energy, and benefits communities and tribes.”

“We applaud Gov. Inslee for his exemplary leadership to restore the Pacific Northwest’s native fisheries to healthy and abundant levels, while also helping Washington transition to a clean, affordable, and resilient energy future,” said Earthjustice Attorney Amanda Goodin. “We look forward to continuing this critical regional work in partnership with the Six Sovereigns.”

Washington’s EO builds on a longstanding partnership and similar executive action by other regional sovereigns and the federal government.

Background

The CBRI is a historic, unified partnership between “Six Sovereigns” – Washington, Oregon, and four sovereign Tribal nations: Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, the Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Nation, and the Nez Perce Tribe. The initiative aims to restore native fisheries in both the Columbia and Snake rivers through comprehensive planning that includes developing clean, reliable, and affordable replacement power for the Pacific Northwest prior to considering removal of four lower Snake River dams.

Following the development of the CBRI, the federal government, Oregon, Washington, the four tribes, and Earthjustice plaintiffs signed the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement (RCBA) in December 2023 to begin implementation of the CBRI through a series of U.S. government commitments, including more than $1 billion in federal funding.

That agreement stayed Earthjustice’s longstanding litigation to protect imperiled Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead as long as progress continues to implement the CBRI.

In September, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a similar executive order pledging her state’s commitment to the CBRI.