Electron Dam

A message from Tribal Council on the Electron Hydro plea

The Puyallup Tribe is grateful for the work of the Attorney General’s office and the attorneys on the ground fighting to bring about accountability for environmental crimes committed by Electron Hydro. The result, though, doesn’t come close to accountability. A token of dollars won’t bring back salmon or habitat. The guilty plea to just one of 36 counts in this case does not bring justice compared to the harm caused and the damage to the Tribe’s natural resources. Electron Hydro and Mr. Fischer, after hearing concerns and reluctance from the company’s own staff and biologist over the course of many…
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Vice Chairwoman Miller shares the importance of our salmon, lands and waters at #WeArePugetSound event

Vice Chairwoman Miller shares the importance of our salmon, lands and waters at #WeArePugetSound event

“I’ll tell you, we are very protective of our lands and our waters; it feeds our souls, bodies and hearts. It’s important for people to preserve and protect these lands and waters or we won’t have them in the future,” said Vice Chairwoman Sylvia Miller at the 2021 virtual #WeArePugetSound event hosted today by the Washington Environmental Council. With the return of salmon to streams throughout the Salish Sea, the event focused on how people can support Tribal treaty rights. Communities for a Healthy Bay Executive Director Melissa Malott was the other panelist; the Tribe and CHB have both fought for…
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Statement on Electron Hydro fine from Chairman Bill Sterud, on behalf of Puyallup Tribal Council

Statement on Electron Hydro fine from Chairman Bill Sterud, on behalf of Puyallup Tribal Council

June 8, 2021 Statement on Electron Hydro fine from Chairman Bill Sterud, on behalf of Puyallup Tribal Council The Department of Ecology’s fine against Electron Hydro today for its discharge of sports turf into the Puyallup River is a good step to protect our water and critically endangered sacred fish. It is not the only step. We lose fish year after year. They begin life on the mountain and get chewed up by Electron Dam. Those that survive go down the river – now polluted by crumb rubber – and out to the bay, where they are greeted by multiple…
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Puyallup Tribe seeks court order to stop Electron Hydro from opening fish-killing dam’s water intake

Puyallup Tribe seeks court order to stop Electron Hydro from opening fish-killing dam’s water intake

May 21, 2021 Puyallup Tribe seeks court order to stop Electron Hydro from opening fish-killing dam’s water intake ‘Everything they did last summer makes it worse,’ Tribal Council says TACOMA—The Puyallup Tribe on Thursday asked a federal court judge in its case against Electron Hydro LLC to issue an order blocking the company from opening a water intake as it stumbles through attempts to get the dam operational. The Puyallup River is home to Chinook salmon, which are important to Tribal and non-Tribal fishers alike and a critical food source of endangered Southern Resident orcas.  The river is also home…
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Puyallup Tribe sues Electron Dam operators over killing of fish in Puyallup River

Puyallup Tribe sues Electron Dam operators over killing of fish in Puyallup River

Contamination of river with artificial turf not the only take of salmon and bull trout in violation of Endangered Species Act TACOMA—The Puyallup Tribe filed a lawsuit in federal court today against the operators of Electron Dam over their ongoing violations of the Endangered Species Act. The Puyallup River is home to spring chinook salmon, which are important to Tribal and non-Tribal fishers alike and a critical food source of endangered Southern Resident orcas, and to steelhead and bull trout. All three species are protected under the Endangered Species Act. The century-old dam in the upper Puyallup has long been…
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Statement from Puyallup Tribal Council on EPA’s decision to sue over Electron Dam

Statement from Puyallup Tribal Council on EPA’s decision to sue over Electron Dam

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed suit against Electron Hydro LLC for the unlawful pollution of the Puyallup River. Electron Hydro’s foolish actions are well-known by now. It put waste field turf pulled from a roadside dump into the home of endangered salmon. To no one’s surprise, cubic yards of crumb rubber soon washed out over 40 miles of the river system. The river and its fish already were suffering from Electron Dam before this deliberate act. We appreciate the EPA’s quick movement under the Clean Water Act to hold the owners accountable for the damage they have caused.…
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