Trump Abandons Columbia River Salmon Deal, Upsetting Tribes
Less Than Two Years Ago, The Administration Of President Joe Biden announced What Tribal Leaders Hailed As An Unprecedented Commitment To The Native Tribes Whose Ways Of Life Had been Devastated By Federal Dam-Building Along The Columbia River In The Pacific Northwest.
The Deal, Which Took Two Years To Negotiate, Halted Decades Of Lawsuits Over The Harm Federal Dams Had Caused To the Salmon That Had Sustained Those Tribes Culturally And Economically For Thousands Of Years.
It Was A Remarkable Step Following Repeated Failures By The Government To Uphold The Tribal Fishing Rights It Swore In Treaties To Preserve.the Agreement Is Now Just Another Of Those broken Promises.
President Donald Trump Signed A Memorandum On Thursday Pulling The Federal Government Out Of The Deal. Trump’s Decision Halted A Government-Wide Initiative To Restore Abundant Salmon Runs In The Columbia And Snake Rivers And Signaled An End To The Government’s Willingness To Consider Removing Dams That Blocked Their Free Flow.
thursday’s Move Drew Immediate Condemnation From Tribes And From Environmental Groups that Have Fought To Protect Salmon.
“The Administration’s Decision To Terminate These Commitments Echoes The Federal Government’s Historic Pattern of Broken Promises To Tribes,” Yakama Nation Tribal Council Chair Gerald Lewis Said In A Statement.
The Government’s Commitment To Tribes, However, Had Been Unraveling since Almost When The deal Was Inked.
Key Provisions Were Already Languishing Under Biden. after Trump Won The Presidency, His Administration Spiked Most Of The Studies Called For In The Agreement, held Up Millions Of Dollars In Funding And Cut Most Of The Staff Working To Implement Salmon Recovery.
The Chair Of The White House Task Force To Implement The Agreement Quit In April As Of What He Saw As Trump’s Efforts To Eliminate Nearly Everything He Was Working On.
Trump’s White House Announcement Called The Biden administration’s Commitments “Onerous” And Said The President “Continues To Deliver On His Promise To End The Previous Administration’s Misplaced Priorities And Protect The Livelihoods Of The American People.”
“President Trump Is Committed To Unleashing American Energy Dominance, Reversing All Executive Actions That Impose Undue Burdens On Energy Production And Use,” The Announcement Read. But The Decision Could Also Have Some Unintended Consequences,Experts Say.
Trump Signed An Executive Order In april To “Restore American Seafood Competitiveness” But In Revoking The Columbia River Agreement Has Canceled Millions Of dollars To Support The Programs that Seed The Ocean With Fish To Catch.
“It’s Tempting To Comment At Length On The Absurdity Of The President’s Order, Including The Fact That What He Says He Wants – Stability For Power Generation – Is In Fact Put More At Risk By This Action,” Blosser Wrote In A Post On linkedin.
Back To Court
Before They Began Negotiating The Columbia River Basin Agreement In 2021, Federal Agencies Had Been Losing In Court Over The Hydropower System For More Than 20 Years. Judge After Judge Ordered The Federal Government To Use Less Water For Making Electricity.
The Accord With States And Tribes Guaranteed Up To A Decade Without Those lawsuits. Trump Canceled That.
Why Did Trump Abandon The Columbia River Salmon Deal?
President Trump Terminated The deal, Calling The Biden Administration’s Commitments “Onerous” And Aiming To “Protect The Livelihoods Of The American People.”
What Was The Columbia River Salmon Deal?
The deal Was An Agreement Between The Federal Government And Native Tribes To Restore Salmon Populations In The Columbia River Basin, Including Potential Dam Removal.
How Will Trump’s Decision Affect The Tribes?
Tribal Leaders Condemned The Decision,stating It Echoes A Pattern Of Broken Promises And Disrupts Vital Fisheries Restoration Efforts.
What were The Key Provisions Of The Salmon Deal?
Key provisions Included Investing billions In Choice Energy Sources, Considering Dam Removal, And Halting Lawsuits Over Harm To Salmon.
What Was The Impact Of The Columbia River Basin Agreement?
The Accord, Before Cancellation, Guaranteed Up To A Decade Without Lawsuits, A Stability Which Is Now Put At Risk.
How did Environmental Groups React To Trump’s Decision?
Environmental Groups Fought To Protect Salmon runs In The Columbia And Snake Rivers And Were Immediately Condemned The move.
What Are your Thoughts On The Trump Administration’s Decision? Share This Article And Join The Discussion!
