{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senate-passes-bill-to-improve-safety-and-sanitation-at-columbia-river-tribal-fishing-sites", "Senate Passes Bill to Improve Safety and Sanitation at Columbia River Tribal Fishing Sites", "2017-11-30", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senate Passes Bill to Improve Safety and Sanitation at Columbia River Tribal Fishing Sites \n\t\n\t\n\tThursday, November 30, 2017\n\t\n\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 With unanimous support, the U.S. Senate has passed the Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act. The legislation, which is sponsored by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), would enable the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make important safety and sanitation improvements at the tribal treaty fishing access sites along the Columbia River, which are on lands held by the United States for the benefit of the four Columbia River Treaty tribes.\r\nThe next step would be for the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the legislation, before being sent to the President for his signature.\r\n \r\n\u201cToday, the Senate made a strong statement that the current conditions at Columbia River fishing sites are unacceptable, unjust, and must be fixed,\u201d said Merkley. \u201cI\u2019ve personally seen the shocking conditions at Lone Pine. We owe better to the Northwest\u2019s tribal communities, and the very least we can do is ensure basic sanitation and safety. I\u2019m going to keep pushing until this bill is at the President\u2019s desk and signed into law.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\r\n \r\n\u201cThis is a positive step on our long road to properly honor our obligations \u00a0to the Columbia River Treaty Tribes,\u201d said Murray. \u201cIt\u2019s so important that we continue to make progress to provide safe, sanitary housing and infrastructure at these fishing access sites, so tribal members can exercise their protected rights.\u201d\r\n\u201cI\u2019m glad the Senate has taken this critical step toward correcting an injustice that tribal families have endured for decades,\u201d Wyden said. \u201cI\u2019m going to keep working to get this bill signed into law to ensure tribal members can continue their traditional way of life on their own terms. It\u2019s my hope that improving access to the Columbia River will be part of a larger effort to renew the government\u2019s commitment to protecting tribal treaty rights.\u201d\r\nBeginning in the 1930s, the construction of the three lower Columbia River dams displaced members of the four Columbia River Treaty tribes: Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Nez Perce Tribe, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. These tribes have a treaty-protected right to fish along the Columbia River in their usual and accustomed places.\r\nThe Senators have been fighting to address the urgent need for adequate housing and infrastructure at tribal fishing access sites constructed by the Army Corps following construction of The Dalles, Bonneville, and John Day dams. The Army Corps designed the sites to be used primarily for daily, in-season fishing access and temporary camping; however, in many cases tribal members now use the areas as longer-term or even permanent residences. In fact, many people at these sites are living in extremely distressed, unsafe, and unsanitary conditions, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs has not committed the resources necessary to ensure the basic necessities of clean and safe living conditions at these sites.\r\nSimultaneously the Senators have been working to address unmet federal obligations to the four Columbia River Treaty Tribes, many of whom are living at these fishing sites, for flooding tribal communities and houses during the construction of The Dalles, Bonneville, and John Day dams. The Trump administration\u2019s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently halted work by the Army Corps on a Village Development Plan specific to The Dalles Dam. The Senators have pushed OMB to reverse its decision. In the meantime, the delay makes improving conditions at existing fishing sites all the more critical.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nThe Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act\u00a0 would address the urgent need for improved conditions by:\r\n \r\nCalling on the Bureau of Indian Affairs to conduct a much-needed assessment of current safety and sanitation conditions at the sites, in coordination with the affected Columbia River Treaty Tribes; and\r\n \r\n \r\nAuthorizing the Bureau to work on improving sanitation and safety conditions in several key areas such as structural improvements (restrooms, washrooms, and other buildings); safety improvements (wells and infrastructure to address fire concerns, and more); electrical infrastructure to ensure safe electrical hookups; and basic sewer and septic infrastructure.\r\n \r\nThe legislation is supported by the four Columbia River Treaty tribes\u2014Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Nez Perce Tribe, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation\u2014as well as the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n     \n\t\n \n\t\n    \n    \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t  \n    \n\t\n\t\n\t  \n          \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senate-passes-bill-to-improve-safety-and-sanitation-at-columbia-river-tribal-fishing-sites"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1126363426446915, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}