WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nez Perce Tribal Chairman Shannon F. Wheeler testified Wednesday before the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries, urging Congress to reject H.R. 2073, the “Defending Our Dams Act.”

The legislation would prohibit federal agencies from funding or studying alternatives to the four lower Snake River dams. Wheeler told lawmakers the measure would “cement the burden of the four Lower Snake River dams on the backs of the salmon and the tribes.”

He said the dams block access to some of the most pristine salmon and steelhead habitat in the Lower 48 and reminded Congress that the health, culture, and treaty rights of Columbia Basin tribes are tied to the survival of wild fish runs.

“As Salmon People, we have a covenant to meet the needs of the salmon and are obligated to speak the words that they cannot speak themselves,” Wheeler said.

According to Wheeler, wild salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin are in crisis. Of the 16 stocks that originate above Bonneville Dam, 11 are either listed under the Endangered Species Act or have gone extinct. Many populations are at “quasi-extinction,” with fewer than 50 wild fish returning to spawn each year.

“The wild runs are indeed in dire straits. This bill would tie the hands of federal agencies and set the United States on an unambiguous course to destroy wild Snake River salmon runs, which would abrogate our Treaty-reserved rights to fish in all our usual and accustomed fishing areas,” Wheeler said.

As an alternative, Wheeler highlighted the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, developed by the Nez Perce, Yakama, Umatilla, and Warm Springs Tribes with Oregon and Washington. The plan proposes science-based actions to restore salmon while replacing the services provided by the dams with updated energy, irrigation, and transportation systems.