Plaintiffs Represented by Earthjustice Condemn Trump Administration’s Unilateral Withdrawal from Historic Columbia Basin Agreement

President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum today to unilaterally and abruptly withdraw the federal government’s support for the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, a comprehensive partnership to restore the basin’s imperiled salmon, steelhead and other native fisheries to health and abundance. The agreement promised increased funding for fisheries projects and infrastructure, a federal-state partnership to analyze replacement of the energy, transportation, irrigation and recreation services provided by four dams on the lower Snake River, and investments in new tribal clean energy projects.

When the historic agreement was signed in December 2023, it was widely hailed as a turning point in the long-standing effort to protect and restore Columbia Basin salmon that could face extinction without urgent and bold action. Parties to the agreement included multiple federal agencies, four Columbia Basin tribes — the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs — the states of Washington and Oregon, and Earthjustice plaintiffs including conservation, fishing, and clean energy groups.

In a fact sheet that accompanied the Presidential Memorandum, the White House also said that it is revoking a Presidential Memorandum signed by President Biden in September 2023 that preceded the agreement and supported native fish restoration across the basin.

The Columbia agreement had set the Northwest on a path to implement a comprehensive blueprint developed by the tribes and states for Columbia Basin recovery that addressed native fish recovery alongside the region’s energy, transportation, irrigation, and recreation needs. The agreement, while it was in place, also formed the basis for a long-term stay of litigation over the operation of federally-owned hydroelectric dams that are lethal to salmon.

For months, Earthjustice and its partners have sought to secure the continued implementation of the agreement even as the Trump administration cut funding for salmon restoration programs and replacement service studies, forced out experienced federal employees, and created chaos within the federal government. While the administration’s decision to abandon the agreement continues its pattern of breaking promises, ignoring science, and devaluing our iconic lands and wildlife, the fight for Columbia Basin salmon is far from over. Earthjustice and the conservation, fishing, and clean energy groups it represents will continue to use all available tools to prevent extinction and advocate for rebuilding healthy and abundant salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin.

The following statements are from Earthjustice and our plaintiffs:

“The Trump administration is turning its back on an unprecedented opportunity to support a thriving Columbia Basin — and ignoring the extinction crisis facing our salmon,” said Earthjustice Senior Attorney Amanda Goodin. “Unfortunately, this short-sighted decision to renege on this important agreement is just the latest in a series of anti-government and anti-science actions coming from the Trump administration. This administration may be giving up on our salmon, but we will keep fighting to prevent extinction and realize win-win solutions for the region.”

“Withdrawing from this agreement that set the Northwest on a path to restore the Columbia Basin’s once fabled salmon and steelhead is wrongheaded and counterproductive,” said Sierra Club Snake/Columbia River Salmon Campaign Director Bill Arthur. “Commitments were made by the federal government in December 2023 to restore these salmon and honor tribal treaty rights. This decision sets all of that back, but the good news is that Northwest tribes and the states of Oregon and Washington will continue to lead these basin restoration efforts – and we will rally to support them.”

“The Northwest power system is in transition and the Columbia Basin Agreement created a unique opportunity to lead the nation in coordinating clean energy development and salmon recovery efforts.” said NW Energy Coalition Executive Director Nancy Hirsh. “Withdrawing from this collaborative effort is short-sighted and harmful to the reliability of our grid. This agreement was always broader than dam removal — it offered a comprehensive, strategic and positive approach to not only restore salmon and the basin, but to also ensure abundant, affordable and reliable clean energy across the region.”

“We are proud to continue to support the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative and its goal of restoring abundant, harvestable runs of salmon,” said Columbia Riverkeeper Legal Director Miles Johnson. “The Trump administration’s short-sighted decision to end this agreement will hurt river communities and interrupt — but not derail — our region’s progress and strong partnerships for salmon recovery and Lower Snake River dam removal,”

“The administration’s decision to abandon these commitments is exceptionally shortsighted and deeply troubling,” said Idaho Rivers United’s Executive Director Greg McReynolds. “We know wild Columbia-Snake River salmon exist on borrowed time. We also know what we must do to reverse their march toward extinction – and we had started down that path under the agreement. The federal government’s withdrawal from these commitments will harm these iconic and incredibly important species and set back economic development and wellbeing of the entire Pacific Northwest as we face growing needs to modernize our energy grid and transportation infrastructure.”

“This agreement had set us on a path to restore a strong fishing economy, honor tribal treaty rights and secure a bright future across the Northwest. To throw away this innovative agreement that engaged stakeholders across the region to restore Columbia Basin fisheries to abundance while also building a clean energy future and modernizing our region’s transportation is a waste,” said Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association Policy Director Liz Hamilton. “It’s a big loss for the Northwest’s economy, and a dagger to the heart of our industry. The sportfishing industry is a cultural and economic engine generating over $5 billion in economic output for the region, creating jobs for nearly 37,000. If we lose our irreplaceable salmon, we’ll lose this too.”

“This move by the Trump administration to throw away five years’ worth of progress is shortsighted and reckless,” said Idaho Conservation League Salmon & Energy Strategist Mitch Cutter. “The Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement was a landmark achievement between the federal government, states, Tribes, and salmon advocates to find solutions for salmon and stay out of the courtroom. Now, it’s gone thanks to the uninformed impulses of a disconnected Administration that doesn’t understand the Pacific Northwest and the rivers and fish that make our region special. The Idaho Conservation League will continue to do what it must to safeguard our wild fish and restore them to true abundance.”