March 27, 2026
A district court judge in Oregon has rejected the federal government's efforts to end decades-long litigation over hydropower dam operations in the Columbia River Basin, saying arguments that the dispute is subject to Ninth Circuit review are unpersuasive and mistaken.
February 26, 2026
An Oregon federal judge has ordered tailored changes to hydropower dam operations in the Columbia River Basin to protect endangered salmon and steelhead, saying that as a decades-long dispute continues, the guaranteed tribal treaty resource is "disappearing from the landscape."
October 15, 2025
The state of Oregon and several conservation groups asked a federal court to order changes to hydropower dam operations in the Columbia River Basin that they say will reduce harm to endangered salmon and steelhead.
September 12, 2025
An Oregon federal judge granted a joint motion by two states, environmental groups and tribes to lift a five-year stay in a lawsuit over Columbia River Basin dams' hydropower practices and attempts to restore fisheries, following a Trump administration memo revoking a basin agreement.
February 09, 2024
An Oregon federal district court judge handed down a five-year pause on a decades-old lawsuit over the Columbia River System dams' hydropower practices, saying a stay best serves the orderly course of justice in litigation that's rife with complex issues.
December 15, 2023
The states of Oregon and Washington, as well as a coalition of green groups and Native American tribes, have entered into a joint agreement with the federal government to pause their lawsuit over hydropower practices on the Columbia River until 2029, as the parties begin restoring salmon habitats.
October 22, 2021
Oregon and a coalition of green groups and Native American tribes agreed Thursday to pause their lawsuit against the federal government over hydropower practices on the Columbia River as the parties work toward a settlement of the long-running litigation.
July 19, 2021
Oregon and a group of environmental advocates have urged a federal court to force the U.S. government to release more water through a series of eight dams along the Columbia and Snake rivers, saying immediate action must be taken to protect endangered fish.
February 25, 2021
The Spokane Tribe of Indians told an Oregon federal judge Thursday that the Grand Coulee Dam is "nothing short of an attempt to permanently destroy a culture" by blocking fish migration while also threatening endangered species such as Southern Resident killer whales.
January 20, 2021
Environmental groups have asked an Oregon federal court to throw out the federal government's approval of the continued operation of a dam system in the Columbia and Snake rivers, saying the Trump administration hurried its environmental analysis and didn't properly weigh the project's impact on endangered fish.