Judge orders stay in case seeking to remove Snake River dams

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A federal judge has granted a stay in litigation seeking to save endangered salmon runs on the Columbia and Snake rivers. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon in Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday granted a request by both sides in the lawsuit seeking the stay until July 31, 2022, so they can try to negotiate a settlement in the lawsuit. Fishing and conservation groups joined with the state of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe and the Biden administration to seek the pause in litigation. The federal lawsuit, filed against several federal agencies, involves the most recent plan for dam operations issued by the Trump administration in late 2020.