The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation is urging the Bonneville Power Administration to restore $50 million in funding for salmon recovery efforts in the Columbia River basin.

The Yakamas said the funds were withheld as part of the prior Columbia Basin Fish Accords established in 2008. The federal government withdrew from the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement (RCBA) and the fish accords earlier this year.

The RCBA, signed during the Biden administration in 2023, involved pausing active Snake River litigation for a minimum of five years while the federal government worked with tribes and states on a plan to advance recovery of native fish populations in the Columbia Basin. 

In June, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum withdrawing the federal government’s support from the agreement, calling it “radical environmentalism” and saying completion of the restoration initiative would “be devastating for the region.”  

The move was lauded by those who say the dams are critical to supporting the region via energy generation, storing irrigation water and making the river navigable. 

The fish accords expired in October, but Yakama leaders said BPA had assured them the funds would remain available. The funds support hatchery operations, habitat restoration and infrastructure investments in connection to the Endangered Species Act. 

Tribal leaders said withholding the funds threatens putting the federal government at increased risk of violating the environmental law.