Tribes condemn U.S. withdrawal from Columbia Basin salmon agreement

The Trump administration has withdrawn from the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement, halting plans to restore salmon populations and remove four hydroelectric dams, according to Grist. The federal government, under the Biden administration, entered into the deal in 2023 with two states and four Indigenous nations, pausing decades of litigation over salmon impacts.

Leaders from the Yakama, Nez Perce, Umatilla and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs said the withdrawal violates treaty rights under the 1855 agreement guaranteeing access to traditional fishing grounds. “This termination will severely disrupt vital fisheries restoration efforts,” Yakama Tribal Council Chairman Gerald Lewis was quoted as saying. Hydroelectric producers in Washington and Oregon supported the decision, citing energy demands from data centers and cryptocurrency. Daniel Cordalis of the Native American Rights Fund called tribal fishing rights “a contract right.”