Biden deal with tribes promises $200M for Columbia River salmon reintroduction

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Biden administration has pledged over $200 million toward reintroducing salmon in the Upper Columbia River Basin in an agreement with tribes that includes a stay on litigation for 20 years. The Seattle Times reports that the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Spokane Tribe of Indians signed the deal with federal officials Thursday. The funds from the Bonneville Power Administration will be paid over 20 years to implement a tribally led plan to restore salmon and steelhead in the basin. The agreement comes decades after construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington cut off tribes’ access to the fish, which leaders say caused irreparable cultural harm.