The state of Washington legislature has passed USD 1.1 billion (EUR 970 million) in spending for removing culverts and restoring salmon habitat – after rejecting a USD 5 billion (EUR 4.4 billion) bond proposal for the same purpose.
The spending is a response to a 2013 federal court order that ruled the state was violating Tribal rights by blocking salmon and steelhead trout migration with culverts, ordering the state to remove them. Washington has already allocated USD 4 billion (EUR 3.7 billion) for culvert replacements, but the state government recently acknowledged that it did not have the resources needed to meet the court-mandated deadlines.
The Washington government and Tribes have agreed to enter into mediation to determine a path forward, but state lawmakers have been keen to dedicate significant funding toward the effort to show good faith.
Washington Senator and Vice Chair of the Ways & Means Committee Yasmin Trudeau spearheaded a proposal to issue USD 5 billion in bond funding for the effort, paid for with revenue gathered from a tax on public utilities. The proposal was met with stiff opposition from local governments, and it didn’t move forward.
However, lawmakers did include USD 1.1 billion in highway construction funds for culvert removal as part of the USD 77 billion (EUR 68 billion) state budget for the 2025-27 biennium.
“Is it enough? The answer is, ‘No, it’s not enough.’ But relative to the challenge that the state has with its revenues,” Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Chair W. Ron Allen told the Seattle Times. “It tells me that they care, and that they want to live up to the obligation of the court case and the court mandate.”
Beyond the culvert removals, the final budget includes significant funding for salmon recovery efforts across the state. The legislation includes USD 240,000 (EUR 211,611) for developing policy recommendations and spending priorities for improving steelhead and salmon habitat and USD 3.4 million (EUR 3 million) to provide administrative support to salmon recovery regions,
Lawmakers also dedicated funding to address 6PPD-quinone, a chemical used in tires that is toxic to salmon. The budget provides USD 8.5 million (EUR 7.5 million) to address and mitigate 6PPD, USD 1 million (EUR 881,744) to conduct monitoring and analyze water and sediment for 6PPD, USD 3 million (EUR 2.6 million) to find safer alternatives to 6PPD, USD 4.4 million (EUR 3.9 million) to study how to treat 6PPD in stormwater, and USD 6 million (EUR 5.3 million) for studying 6PPD-quinone and other “salmon contaminants of emerging concern.
The budget also includes funding for less direct projects that will help salmon populations recover, including USD 1 million (EUR 881,744) to increase native trees and shrubs along streams and rivers, USD 1.1 million (EUR 970,000) on seal population management
The Washington governor has until 20 May to veto any elements of the legislation.
