President Donald J. Trump on Thursday signed a presidential memorandum revoking a Biden-era executive action aimed at restoring native fish populations in the Columbia River Basin, citing concerns over energy production and economic impact.
The memorandum reverses President Joe Biden’s 2023 directive titled “Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin.”
The original order emphasized the “equitable treatment for fish,” particularly species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Trump’s new order calls the policy “misguided” and says it placed speculative climate change concerns above the nation’s need for reliable and affordable energy.
Under the new directive, Trump ordered several federal agencies to withdraw from agreements tied to the Biden administration’s fish restoration efforts.
Those agencies include the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Department of Commerce, and the Army Corps of Engineers.
All were previously party to a December 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) related to litigation over dam operations on the Lower Snake River.
Trump’s memorandum instructs the agencies to end participation in that MOU, cease related spending, and begin revising environmental review procedures in coordination with the Council on Environmental Quality.
The move is expected to halt federal commitments to support dam breaching efforts, which had been considered a major tool for salmon recovery.
According to the Trump administration, the MOU would have cost taxpayers millions of dollars and required compliance with what it described as “36 pages of onerous commitments.”
Officials said those included potential dam removals that would have decreased irrigation access, disrupted shipping routes, raised energy costs, and affected recreation in the Pacific Northwest.
The Lower Snake River dams collectively generate more than 3,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power—enough to supply roughly 2.5 million homes.
Trump officials argue that removing the dams would have undercut American energy reliability and harmed rural economies.
Trump framed the memorandum as part of a broader effort to restore “American energy dominance” and protect national interests.
He pointed to earlier executive actions aimed at boosting domestic energy production, including revitalizing the coal industry and lifting environmental restrictions in Alaska.
“President Trump continues to deliver on his promise to end the previous administration’s misplaced priorities,” the White House said in a statement. “Policies that promote environmental quality and economic growth are not mutually exclusive.”
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