ICYMI: PASSED: As Appropriations Chair, Murray Secures Billions for WA Priorities in Six-Bill Funding Package; Critical Investments in Fish Passages, Salmon Recovery
Senator Murray: “This influx of federal funding will be key to saving precious species, including our salmon, and restoring wetlands and other vital habitats.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced nearly $75 million in funding for Washington state projects—including $39.4 million for Tribes—to help remove fish barriers, improve fish passages, and protect critical habitats. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act Murray helped pass; together, these bills make up the largest investment into the climate crisis in American history and include record funding for salmon recovery and fish habitats. The funding will be administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Today’s announcement supports projects under the Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grants NOAA program. These projects will help recover endangered migratory fish and support the sustainability of commercial, recreational, and Tribal fisheries. They will also support coastal communities by removing derelict and unsafe dams, removing contaminated sediments, improving opportunities for recreation, and adapting to climate change by reducing flooding and improving threatened infrastructure.In collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, the selected partners will use this funding to reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitat for fish across the country.
“In Washington state, our fish drive local economies and are foundational to the culture of the Pacific Northwest—and the record investments in fish passage projects we secured under President Biden will make a big difference across our state,” said Senator Murray. “This influx of federal funding will be key to saving precious species, including our salmon, and restoring wetlands and other vital habitats. Our work isn’t done—I will continue to fight as Chair of the Appropriations Committee to secure the federal resources we need to save our salmon and protect our beautiful environment.”
In Washington state, 4 projects were awarded grants for a total of $28.7 million in funding this year and $7 million in future funding through the national fish passage funding opportunity, Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grants. For Washington state, the following projects are recommended for funding:
- $1.6 million for Chelan County’s Wenatchee Basin Fish Barrier Removal Project;
- $8.4 million for Trout Unlimited’s Olympic Peninsula Coldwater Connection Campaign Fish Passage Project Phase 2;
- $11.7 million for Tulalip Tribes – Tulalip Fish Passage Collaborative I ;
- $7 million in year one, $14 million over 3 years for Yakama Nation’s Yakima River Fish Passage Improvement.
For Washington state Tribes, 9 projects were selected for $36.3 million in funding this year and $3.1 million in future funding through the tribal-specific funding opportunity, Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grants. For Washington, the following projects are recommended for funding, and more information can be found HERE:
- $1.9 million for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe Ostrander Creek Fish Passage Project;
- $1.4 million for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Ennis Creek Barrier Correction, East Ennis Road;
- $5.8 million for the Nisqually Indian Tribe, Removal of Migratory Fish Barrier at Brighton Creek and Replacement of Harts Lake Road S. Culvert;
- $2.2 million for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Hood Canal Bridge Fish Passage: Phase 2;
- $3.3 million for the Skagit River System Cooperative, Skagit Basin Tribal Priority Fish Passage Implementation 2023:
- $6.4 million for the Squaxin Island Tribe, 5th Avenue Dam Removal and Deschutes Estuary Restoration;
- $9.2 million for the Tulalip Tribes – Tulalip Fish Passage Collaborative II;
- $3.1 million for the Yakama Nation, Yakima and Klickitat River Fish Passage Improvement;
- $3 million in year one, $6.1m total over 3 years for the Yakama Nation Nason Creek Floodplain Stream Restoration.
Murray has been a champion for protecting and strengthening critical salmon and fish populations throughout her time in the Senate. As Assistant Majority Leader in the last Congress, Murray secured a historic $2.85 billion investment in salmon and ecosystem restoration programs, including $400 million for a new community-based restoration program focused on removing fish passage barriers in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In the Inflation Reduction Act, Murray secured hundreds of millions for Washington state priorities, including $90 million for the new Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, $15 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, $3 million to support facilities at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, $27 million for Pacific salmon research, and more. As Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Murray protected critical funding for salmon recovery and fishery projects in the Fiscal Year 2024 government spending bills, including: $50 million in the construction of the Howard Hanson Dam Fish Passage facility; $75 million for the Pacific Salmon account at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), $65 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, $54 million for the EPA’s Puget Sound Geographic Program, and more.
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