A U.S. federal judge has ordered managers to maintain hydropower dam operations on the Columbia and Snake rivers at effectively the status quo as part of ongoing efforts to restore salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest.
“This ruling establishes dam operations similar to those over the past five years, with some modest adjustments in spill and reservoir elevations to reduce the harm to migrating salmon and steelhead,” Oregon Governor Tina Kotek said in response. “Recent preliminary analysis by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council indicates this will have modest impacts on power generation, our ability to meet peak demand, and our region’s overall ability to maintain a reliable, affordable power system."
The court order comes amid a power struggle between the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and a coalition made up of state governments, Tribes, and conservation groups over the dams. While the latter have worked to implement changes to the dams to better support struggling salmon stocks, the Trump administration has pushed to prioritize hydropower generation and cut back salmon restoration efforts.
Under former U.S. President Joe Biden, the federal government had signed the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement with the states of Washington and Oregon, conservation groups, and four Pacific Northwest Tribes to implement a comprehensive salmon recovery plan. Upon taking office last year, however, Trump has worked to reverse Biden’s legacy on salmon recovery in the region, reneging on the agreement and asking Congress to gut salmon restoration funds. The federal government has since moved to raise reservoir levels at the dam, prioritizing power generation.
In September 2025, the groups on the other side of the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement announced their intention to resume litigation against the federal government over dam operations and salmon recovery; a month later, the coalition asked a federal judge to make several emergency changes to dam operations to support salmon in the Columbia River basin, including lowering reservoir levels.
In a 25 February ruling, U.S. District Judge Michael Simon ordered reservoir levels to be maintained at the same levels as 2025. While the ruling doesn’t implement all of the changes requested by states, Tribes, and conservationists, it did reject the federal government’s move to raise reservoir levels and effectively restores status quo management.
Kotek was quick to praise the ruling.
"Judge Simon made the right call, and I concur with his repudiation of the Trump administration’s refusal to uphold salmon protections in the Columbia Basin. This decision lets us move forward focused on what really matters – restoring fish populations, meeting energy demand, and building a clean energy future for the Pacific Northwest,” Kotek said.
