SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Some Native American tribes in the Northwest are criticizing the suggestion that they have competing opinions on how best to save endangered salmon runs.
The tribes issued a press release this week saying they were united in pursuing the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Snake River in order to preserve the fish.
The tribes noted that some elected officials had suggested that tribes based near Puget Sound might have differing goals than inland tribes. The tribes say they are united behind a controversial proposal by U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican, to spend $33 billion on efforts to save salmon that include breaching the four dams in eastern Washington.