WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — On Wednesday, the Nez Perce Tribe announced that Tribal Nations across the country voted to pass a resolution to formally back Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson's plan to breach four dams on the Snake River.
Back in February, Republican Representative Simpson unveiled his $33.5 billion plan to breach four dams on the Lower Snake River within the next decade. He called the plan "The Northwest in Transition."
At the time, he said not breaching the dams would mean condemning Idaho's salmon population to extinction.
The President of the National Congress of American Indians, Fawn Sharp, agreed in a statement released on Wednesday.
"It should be clear to the Administration and Northwest delegation that Tribal Nations across America stand united on the need to remove these obstacles that are choking our rivers and causing the extinction of salmon and orca," Sharp said.
During the 2021 mid-year conference, the NCAI passed resolution AK-21-009, which formally backs Simpson's plan and serves as a call to action. The resolution also calls for President Joe Biden's administration to commit to allocating the resources to save salmon and orca populations in the Pacific Northwest.
AK-21-009 was built on research conducted by biologists at fisheries at the Nez Perce Tribe, according to a statement by the tribe. The analysis found that "wild salmon in the Snake River Basin are headed for extinction unless imminent action is taken to restore the Snake River."
Sharp said now is the time to take real action and time for Biden "to honor the treaties that your nation signed with ours."
Nez Perce Tribe Chairman Samuel Penney called on Biden and Congress to join the effort in saving salmon populations.
"We will continue to fight for their survival together because just as we are united with each other, we are also united with the salmon; we are all salmon people. We are here speaking for the salmon and upholding our commitment to them as they have done, and continue to try to do, for us," he said in a statement.
Nez Perce Tribe Vice-Chairman Shannon Wheeler backs Simpson's plan by calling it "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for the federal government to honor Tribal Treaties while saving salmon and orca populations for future generations.
"We must do something different to preserve our way of life," Wheeler said in a statement.
The President of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and Chairman of the Suquamish Tribe Leonard Forsman shared similar sentiments in a statement.
"The U.S. has a responsibility to honor the Treaties and preserve the salmon runs so vital to our culture and traditional economies," Forson said. "We are asking that the President and Congress keep its word and make the investments needed to prevent extinction of these salmon species."
Forson also sponsored the resolution.
AK-21-009 states that "the status of Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead species are dire and getting worse. Many populations of Snake River spring Chinook salmon and steelhead at the tipping point of extinction."
The resolution call for the Biden administration to do four things:
- "Ensure funding is set aside now to implement actions necessary for salmon and orca recovery, including breaching the four Lower Snake River Dams
- prioritize and fund Tribal species restoration actions
- Withdraw their legal defense of the Trump Administration's salmon plan
- Meet with Tribes at a Tribal Salmon and Orca Summit to discuss next steps in the protection of salmon and orca."
Tribal leaders called on Biden to make sure there is funding for Tribal priorities, including the breaching of the Snake River, in the massive infrastructure spending bill that is working its way through Congress.
In Rep. Simpson's $33 billion plan, $16 billion will be used to replace the renewable energy lost due to the absence of the dams. The plan also allocates $4.6 billion to improve water quality and $1.85 billion for any industries impacted.
The four dams that would be breached are:
- Lower Granite Dam
- Little Goose Dam
- Lower Monumental Dam
- Ice Harbor Dam
Back in May, the Nez Perce Tribe announced its backing of the proposal. At the time, Penney said, "We have a singular legislative moment, one not likely to come along again in our lifetimes, to address that biological crisis and solve the decades-long salmon wars in the Basin."
