FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Gauntt, Nov. 18, 2019
PacifiCorp, 503-813-7291
Phil Rigdon, Yakama Nation
509-865-5121
PacifiCorp and Yakama Nation reach Right of First Offer agreement for lands in White Salmon River canyon
Shared goals of stewardship and continuity highlight agreement concerning 289 acres near former Condit Dam site
Following months of negotiation, PacifiCorp and the Yakama Nation have agreed that the Nation will have a Right of First Offer for as much as 289 acres of land along the White Salmon River in south central Washington.
PacifiCorp, which has owned the land since the early 1900s as part of the operation of the Condit Hydroelectric Project, recently satisfied all federal requirements concerning the river’s rehabilitation following the removal of the Condit Dam in 2012. The company may look to sell the property in the future, but no timeline for putting the property on the market exists. At this time, the property is not for sale.
“We wanted to be as transparent as possible,” said Todd Olson, director of hydro compliance. “Having been involved in the White Salmon community for more than a century, we know there is a tremendous amount of interest in what happens to the lands on both sides of the river below the former dam site. The agreement with the Nation is not a sale agreement, but demonstrates our intention and the values we share with the Yakama and the people who use and love the river.”
"The Yakama Nation and PacifiCorp have worked together for decades in the White Salmon Basin and elsewhere in our traditional homelands,” said Virgil Lewis Sr., Tribal Council Vice-Chairman. ”We are pleased to jointly announce this Right of First Offer of PacifiCorp's lands along the lower White Salmon River: a unique opportunity to preserve in perpetuity critical river and upland habitats that sustain our way of life. We will continue to work with our partners throughout the Yakama Nation’s traditional territories in order to honor, protect and restore our culture and the natural resources on which it depends, and to uphold our promise to the Creator to speak for those resources that cannot speak for themselves.”
The land included in the agreement begins at the former dam site down river to where the White Salmon flows into the Columbia. The still standing Condit Powerhouse is part of the property covered by the agreement. The agreement does not include company-owned property further upriver where leased cabin sites and Northwestern Park are located.
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About The Yakama Nation
The Yakama Nation and United States government entered into the Treaty of 1855 which ceded the lands of the White Salmon as part of a larger 10 million acre ceded area. Through this treaty the Yakama Nation reserved in perpetuity its rights to fish at usual and accustomed stations throughout the Pacific Northwest. Today the Yakama Nation is a co-manager of the fisheries of the White Salmon and works diligently to restore this resource and the river it depends on.
About PacifiCorp
PacifiCorp is one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, serving 1.9 million customers in the West. PacifiCorp operates as Pacific Power in Oregon, Washington and California, and as Rocky Mountain Power in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. The company’s generating capability of more than 10,880 megawatts includes power from a diverse portfolio of wind, solar, hydro and thermal facilities. The company works to meet growing energy demand while protecting and enhancing the environment.
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