Senator Murray, Rep. Schrier, Tribal and Local Leaders Highlight Historic Federal Investment in Salmon Recovery at Howard Hanson Dam

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), joined U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA-08), as well as local and Tribal leaders for a press conference at the Howard Hanson Dam to highlight major recent investments secured by Murray and Schrier for the dam and salmon recovery efforts. During the event, Senator Murray underscored the critical role of salmon in Washington state's economy and ecosystems, and stressed the need to ensure fish passages like the Howard Hanson Dam have the federal resources needed to strengthen salmon recovery.

Senator Murray was joined by representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers, Tacoma Public Utilities, Tacoma Water, City of Tacoma, the Muckleshoot Tribe, Lakehaven Water and Sewer District, Covington Water District, the City of Kent, Green/Duwamish & Central Puget Sound Watershed, Puget Sound Partnerships, and Pierce County.

The event included remarks by Colonel Alexander Bullock, Commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers; Jaime Pinkham, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; Jackie Flowers, Director & CEO of Tacoma Public Utilities; and Jaison Elkins, Chairman of the Muckleshoot Tribe as well as other members of the Muckleshoot Tribe.

"I don't need to tell everyone here just how many challenges are facing our salmon--this is something we need to tackle from every angle," said Senator Murray. "Wild salmon populations in Washington state are declining on the whole--threatening our ecosystems and local economies, not to mention our way of life especially for our Tribes. I'm going to do absolutely everything I can in the other Washington to save our salmon -- and the funding to build this infrastructure at the Howard Hanson Dam is going to play a huge role in recovering local salmon runs. Salmon recovery has to be an ongoing policy priority at every level of government, and I'm committed to doing my part."

"I am thrilled to have helped secure a whopping $220M in infrastructure funding for the downstream fish passage project at Howard Hanson Dam," said Rep. Schrier. "I worked with stakeholders across the 8th district to ensure this critical project was included in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This stands to do more for Chinook salmon populations than any other project to date. And that is something Washingtonians care deeply about."

"Tacoma Public Utilities celebrates the federal government's initial investment into our region's environmental future," Jackie Flowers, Director & CEO of Tacoma Public Utilities. "While more funding will be needed to get the project across the finish line, the broad regional support we see here at the Howard Hanson dam today underlines the project's critical importance to salmon and orca recovery, all while benefitting Tacoma Water customers."

Senator Murray helped secure $220 million to create a new fish passage at the dam that will be critical toward salmon recovery efforts in Washington state and the Pacific Northwest thanks to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Senator Murray has been a consistent and forceful advocate for the Howard Hanson Dam and its related salmon recovery projects, pressing the Army Corp to prioritize funding for Howard Hanson for years, imparting the importance of the dam to the Biden Administration when the President first took office. Back in 2010, she secured $44 million in badly-needed emergency funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair the Howard Hanson Dam and keep Green River Valley communities safe from flooding.

Investing in salmon recovery was a major priority for Senator Murray when negotiating the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which delivered $1 billion for culvert removal, replacement, and restoration; $172 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF); and $207 million for the Coastal Zone Management Program, among other habitat investments.

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