PORTLAND, Ore. – A longstanding legal dispute over the impact of federal dams on salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest may be heading back to court.
Tribes, states and environmental groups have requested a judge lift a stay on a 20-year-old lawsuit challenging dam operations on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
The case, paused five years ago to explore solutions like habitat restoration, was influenced by a directive from President Biden to restore Columbia Basin Salmon. However, in June, President Trump revoked that agreement with a memorandum titled “Stopping Radical Environmentalists to Generate Power for the Columbia River Basin,” directing federal agencies to withdraw from the agreement.
Plaintiffs argue that the stay no longer serves its purpose. They stated, “Orderly course of justice requires the case to move forward.”
Judge Michael Simon of the U.S. District Court in Portland is considering the motion and will issue a ruling soon.
