Law urges halt to Willamette River dams’ hydropower to save salmon

Congress has directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to explore stopping hydroelectric generation at Oregon’s Willamette River dams to protect endangered salmon.

Tony Schick reports for ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting.

In short:

New legislation signed by President Biden requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider ending hydropower at Willamette River dams.
Proposed fixes, like $170 million fish traps and trucking salmon downstream, have been criticized as costly and ineffective.
Emptying reservoirs to restore natural river flow could help salmon but may impact boating, irrigation and drinking water systems downstream.

Key quote:

“Our salmon heritage is literally on the line.”

— Kathleen George, council member for the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde

Why this matters:

Endangered salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest are critical to ecosystems and Indigenous cultures. Current dam operations obstruct migration, risking extinction. Exploring alternatives to hydropower may provide a path for balancing energy needs and ecological preservation.

www.propublica.org

Law urges halt to Willamette River dams’ hydropower to save salmon

Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, report says, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’

As Trump rants against clean energy, the rest of the world zooms past the U.S.

Carmakers face key trial in UK lawsuits, decade after 'dieselgate' scandal

Trump administration’s revised approval process threatens to scuttle giant NV solar complex

After Spain's blackout, misinformation about renewable energy thrived

Searching for links between a changing climate and mental health in Kenya

It’s brown and burns your eyes. In small-town Texas, clean water is elusive

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.