President Biden on Wednesday directed federal agencies to take steps to restore salmon, steelhead and other fish populations in the Pacific Northwest.
The White House said it was taking such actions because dam construction, population growth and overfishing have “severely depleted wild fish populations in the region.”
It said that this has harmed tribes’ ability to hunt and fish, rights preserved under treaty.
The White House’s directive tells federal agencies to both use existing authorities and resources and see what else is needed to restore the wild fish populations.
It also directs White House offices to create a partnership with tribes and states to work together to resolve the issue.
While the directive doesn’t contain any specific actions, environmentalists see it as a key step toward concrete action in the future.
“This is a big, big deal. We haven’t had a statement come out like this from any administration in the past,” said Bradley Williams, associate director of legislative and administrative advocacy for the Sierra Club’s wildlife and lands protection campaign.
“I think this is going to set us on a path for some more concrete action, which we hope will be dam removal on the lower Snake River dams in particular,” Williams added.
The White House action received GOP pushback. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) also said he expected the administration to move toward dam removal, which he opposes.
“This announcement is bureaucracy at its worst and the fact remains that these dams are vital to our economy, our efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and the ability to send our commodities overseas,” Newhouse said in a written statement.
— Updated at 5:33 p.m.