Tribal leaders together with Skagit County leaders have been pushing the City of Seattle and its electric utility department to commit to building fish passage at its dams to provide salmon with access to the 37% of the Skagit River upstream of the dams. Here is an excellent panel discussion that aims to educate folks about this extremely important issue. The City of Seattle has been resisting demands to do the right thing for salmon and for the very high cultural and spiritual value our tribal neighbors give to salmon. We believe the City of Seattle, its elected leadership, and its residents who elect the political leaders of that. city have an ethical environmental obligation to accept and promptly implement commitment to build fish passage at its dams.

If necessary, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must require the City of Seattle to carry out this obligation as a condition of relicensing the City of Seattle’s dams on the Skagit River.