Groups File Court Petition To Halt Clearcutting In Oregon’s Burned Santiam River Watershed; Home To ESA-Listed Spring Chinook, Steelhead
April 23rd, 2021
Seven conservation groups filed April 14 in Multnomah County Circuit Court a petition seeking to stop logging by Oregon Department of Forestry contractors of trees burned in wildfires last summer in the Santiam River watershed in Oregon. The logging is in process.
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Judge Sets Timeline For Challenge To Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead EIS/BIOP; Could Extend Well Into 2022
April 16th, 2021
A federal judge in Oregon has set a schedule for future litigation proceedings in the eighth challenge since 2001 to the federal biological opinion for threatened and endangered Columbia River basin salmon and steelhead. Activity begins this month and extends out to at least August 2022 when final summary judgement briefs are due to the court.
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EIS/BiOp Challenge: Spokane Tribe Wants Salmon Reintroduction Included, Steps To Control Pike; Irrigators Say Dam Breaching Impact Analysis On Irrigation Falls Short
March 5th, 2021
The eighth battle of the BiOp has been underway in federal court since mid-January and two groups are joining in on the debate, one to join as an intervenor plaintiff and one to throw the entire lawsuit out.
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Conservation Groups File Complaint Against New Columbia River System Operations EIS, BiOp For Salmon, Steelhead
February 5th, 2021
Conservation groups have filed the opening complaint against the Columbia River System Operations 2020 Environmental Impact Statement and Biological Opinion for salmon and steelhead, kicking off yet another round of litigation over the federal approach to recovering these fish listed under the Endangered Species Act. The opening salvo shows breaching Lower Snake River dams will be a central issue in the coming courtroom battles.
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Seattle Federal Judge Orders EPA, WDOE To Take Steps To Reduce Polluted Runoff, Review Width Of Streamside Buffers To Protect Salmon
January 15th, 2021
A U.S. District Court judge in Seattle has issued a stipulated order requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology to take steps to reduce polluted runoff from land uses such as farming, grazing, logging, and septic systems.
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Congress Approves Bipartisan Bill Ratifying Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes Water Rights Compact
December 22nd, 2020
The U.S. Senate Monday passed a bill that will ratify the water rights settlement between Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes and the state of Montana, resolve CSKT's water-related claims with the federal government, establish resources to update critical water infrastructure, and avoid costly litigation.
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Fisheries/Hydro Managers Give High Grades To 2020 Flexible Spill Operations; Aided Juvenile Salmonids, Netted BPA $4.7 Million
December 18th, 2020
The states of Oregon and Washington, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Bonneville Power Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the Northwest Power and Conservation Council this week that flexible spill in 2020 met all of a flexible spill agreement’s goals in its second year. All were signatories to the 2018 flexible spill agreement.
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Center For Biological Diversity Issues Intent To Sue Over Lack Of Final Rule For Expanded Critical Habitat For Killer Whales
December 17th, 2020
The Center for Biological Diversity this week filed a notice of intent to sue the federal government for failure to finalize to date expanded habitat protections for critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales, whose population has dipped to just 74 orcas.
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Conservation Groups File Lawsuit Challenging USFWS Decision To Not List Wolverines Under ESA; Stress Climate Change Impacts
December 17th, 2020
A coalition of conservation groups filed a lawsuit this week challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to withhold Endangered Species Act protection from wolverines in the lower 48 states, where no more than 300 animal exist as small, fragmented populations in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming and northeast Oregon.