Senator Murray Statement on Governor Inslee’s Salmon Recovery Proposal

ICYMI: Senator Murray Helps Secure Key Funding for Salmon and Coastal Recovery in Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill—MORE HERE

Senator Murray: “I am firmly committed to making sure the federal government is doing its part to recover our iconic salmon runs.”

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) today commended Governor Jay Inslee on his newly announced salmon recovery proposal and highlighted the work she is doing at the federal level to bolster salmon populations in Washington state and across the Pacific Northwest, in particular through the recently enacted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as well as the Build Back Better Act, which is being finalized in the Senate.

“Saving our salmon is absolutely essential to Washington state’s economy and cultural heritage—it is an urgent undertaking that will require federal, state, local, and Tribal partnership. I commend Governor Inslee for his leadership in supporting the Pacific Northwest’s vital salmon populations, and I am going to make sure the federal government is doing its part to recover our iconic salmon runs,” said Senator Murray. “I’m glad we were able to secure important federal investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help bolster salmon populations, such as money for culvert repair, the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, and important habitat restoration efforts. And I’m pushing for further investment in Build Back Better because we have got to do everything we can to save our salmon.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes nationally $1 billion for culvert removal, replacement, and restoration; $172 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF); and $400 million to enhance fish passage, among other habitat investments. More details on the policies in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law below:

• Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration: The $1 billion allocated for culverts will provide grants to states for the removal, replacement, and restoration of culverts to address flow of water through roads, bridges, railroad tracks, and trails. The competitive grant program will be administered by the Department of Transportation in close consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
• Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund: The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund was founded by Congress to reverse the decline of West Coast salmon and steelhead. This competitive grants program provides funding to states and tribes to protect, conserve, and restore these populations. In Washington state, the PCSRF works through the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) which provides grants on a competitive basis to a variety of habitat protection and restoration programs. Projects have included fixing or removing obstacles to fish migration, opening up streams for salmon habitat, planting trees and shrubs along streams to provide ideal habitat conditions, decreasing the amount of soil flowing into streams, changing river flows and opening miles of transition areas for salmon headed to and from the sea. According to NOAA, several studies indicate that a $1 million investment in watershed restoration creates between 13 and 32 jobs and $2.2 and $3.4 million in economic activity.
• Fish Passage Restoration: The $400 million to enhance fish passage at NOAA will provide grants to remove in-stream barriers and provide technical assistance to communities—15% of the funding is reserved for Tribes. These funds will help protect and restore habitats that sustain fisheries, recover protected species, and maintain resilient ecosystems and communities.
• Other Habitat Investments: The bill includes other habitat investments important to salmon recovery, including:
• $79 million for the Puget Sound EPA Geographic Program
• $79 million for the Columbia River Basin EPA Geographic Program
• $200 million for the NOAA Marine Debris Program—$50 million of which will go through the National Sea Grant College Program
• $200 million for the USFWS National Fish Passage Program
• $207 million for NOAA Coastal Zone Management Grants
• $492 million for NOAA National Coastal Resiliency Fund
• $491 million for NOAA Habitat Restoration and Community Resilience Grants

The Build Back Better Act that Senate Democrats are currently finalizing also includes much-needed support for Washington state’s salmon populations, for which Senator Murray has been an outspoken advocate within the Senate Democratic Caucus. More details on the policies in the Build Back Better Act below:

• Pacific Salmon Restoration and Conservation: $1 billion to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for supporting habitat restoration and conservation projects for Pacific salmon and steelhead populations, including projects that increase climate resilience and adaptation.
• Salmon Hatchery Infrastructure: $400 million to NOAA to provide grants to states and Tribal Governments to repair, replace, and upgrade fish hatchery infrastructure. These grants will expand existing hatcheries to increase salmon production, as well as support the construction new hatcheries. The bill also includes $19.6 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to support operations and maintenance for Tribal salmon hatcheries.
• Salmon Stock Assessments: $500 million to NOAA for carrying out salmon stock assessments, science, surveys, ecosystem-based assessments, marine fisheries data collection, scientific research, acquisition of electronic monitoring equipment, and transitional gear research to further understand why salmon populations are declining.
• Coastal and Climate Habitat Resilience: $6 billion to NOAA to provide direct funding, grants, cooperative agreements, and technical assistance to state, local, and Tribal governments, as well as nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education, for projects that conserve, restore, and protect coastal and marine salmon habitats and increase climate resilience of coastal communities.

In October, Senator Murray and Governor Inslee issued a joint statement on next steps for a joint federal-state process on salmon recovery in the Columbia River Basin and the Pacific Northwest. Importantly, Senator Murray helped to pass the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act, which made culvert removal eligible for unspent COVID-19 relief dollars by Washington state.

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