Friday August 12, 2022
Oregon Capital Chronicle —
The federal government is giving $1.8 million to Oregon to tackle toxic waste that is sickening fish in the Columbia River.
The grant was announced Wednesday by Environmental Protection Agency officials as well as state, local and tribal leaders in Portland along the banks of the river. The money will go to environmentalists, researchers and the cities of Gresham and Vancouver, Washington.
At the event, Michael Regan, the EPA administrator, called the river an “irreplaceable environmental asset” but that “toxic contaminants in the basin pose a serious risk.”
He was joined by the agency’s new regional director, Casey Sixkiller; Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats; Gov. Kate Brown; as well as leaders from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.