WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), along with Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1), today announced that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Ley de mejora de los sitios de acceso a la pesca en lugar de tratados y en lugar del río Columbia, sending it to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
The legislation 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.
The bill, authored by Merkley and Blumenauer, was unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate on June 28, 2019.
"Las condiciones actuales en los sitios de pesca del río Columbia son inaceptables, injustas y deben corregirse". Dijo el senador Merkley. “I’ve personally seen the shocking conditions at Lone Pine. We owe better to the tribal communities in the Northwest, and the very least we can do is uphold our commitments to tribes and ensure basic sanitation and safety. I’m pleased that our colleagues in the House of Representatives have joined us in passing this bill, and I urge the president to sign it into law without delay.”
“Congress has a responsibility to address the egregious misdeeds committed against the tribes who have lived along the Columbia River since time immemorial,” dijo el representante Blumenauer. “We cannot pretend that this bill rectifies all of these injustices, but passing it is an important step in helping improve the lives of those who still reside there. This is just the start, and Congress must continue its work to right these wrongs.”
“I’m excited to see this important legislation for our Columbia River tribes head to the President’s desk. It is the federal government’s duty to ensure our tribal communities along the river have access to safe, sanitary housing and infrastructure at historical fishing access sites—a critical component of their culture and heritage, as well as an important source of sustenance—and this bill takes another vital step toward fulfilling our government-to-government obligation,” said Senator Murray. “As a representative for our state’s tribes in the Senate, I urge the President to sign this bill into law.”
“Improving the health and safety at tribal fishing sites along the Columbia River is an important and long overdue step toward righting historic wrongs,” Senator Wyden said. “The federal government can’t stop here—it must do more to finally meet all obligations promised to indigenous peoples in the Northwest.”
“Improving housing and infrastructure at Tribal fishing sites is a critical step to fulfill our treaty promises. I hope the president will sign this legislation into law so we can get to work on providing clean and safe living conditions at these sites as soon as possible,” said Senator Cantwell.
“I am grateful that the House passed this legislation to address historical injustices and honor the fishing treaty rights of four Columbia River Tribes,” dijo la congresista Suzanne Bonamici. “This bill will finally provide access to safe and sanitary housing and infrastructure at several fishing access sites. For too long the 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 have been without the support that the federal government is legally and morally obligated to provide. I look forward to seeing this important legislation signed into law and will continue to do all I can to protect tribal rights.”
A partir de la década de 1930, la construcción de las tres represas de la parte baja del río Columbia desplazó a miembros de las cuatro tribus del Tratado del Río Columbia: las tribus confederadas de la reserva india de Warm Springs, las tribus confederadas de la reserva india de Umatilla, la tribu Nez Perce y las tribus confederadas y Bandas de la Nación Yakama. Estas tribus tienen un derecho protegido por tratado a pescar a lo largo del río Columbia en sus lugares habituales y acostumbrados.
The Senators and Representatives 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.
Simultaneously, the Senators and Representatives 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.
In 2017, after the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) halted work by the Army Corps on a Village Development Plan specific to The Dalles Dam, the members successfully presionó a la OMB para que revocara su decisión, and later announced that the Army Corps allocated $1.8 million to complete The Dalles Dam Tribal Housing Village Development Plan.
In the 2019 spending bill, Merkley successfully included language acknowledging the Army Corps’ mission, and instructing the Corps to uphold its responsibility to tribes that were displaced by the construction of The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River, and to mitigate the impact of that displacement.
El Ley de mejora de los sitios de acceso a la pesca en lugar de tratados y en lugar del río Columbia abordaría la urgente necesidad de mejorar las condiciones mediante:
- Pidiendo a la Oficina de Asuntos Indígenas que lleve a cabo una evaluación muy necesaria de las condiciones actuales de seguridad y saneamiento en los sitios, en coordinación con las tribus afectadas por el Tratado del Río Columbia; y
- Autorizar a la Oficina a trabajar para mejorar las condiciones sanitarias y de seguridad en varias áreas clave, como mejoras estructurales (baños, lavabos y otros edificios); mejoras de seguridad (pozos e infraestructura para abordar los problemas de incendios, y más); infraestructura eléctrica para garantizar conexiones eléctricas seguras; e infraestructura básica de alcantarillado y sépticos.
La legislación cuenta con el apoyo de las cuatro tribus del Tratado del Río Columbia: las tribus confederadas de la reserva india de Warm Springs, las tribus confederadas de la reserva india de Umatilla, la tribu Nez Perce y las tribus y bandas confederadas de la nación Yakama, así como el río Columbia. Comisión Intertribal de Pesca.
###
Spanish 
English