Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) is awarding $4.2 million to the Skagit River System Cooperative (Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community) for restoring fish passage to support Similk Estuary Chinook salmon. 

“This is great news for fish!” said Rep. Larsen. “This funding will give the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community the resources they need to improve fish passage and foster salmon recovery. I will keep working closely with local leaders and Tribes to bring home federal dollars to protect salmon habitats and Northwest Washington’s environment.” 

NOAA’s Community-Based Restoration Program provides technical assistance and funding to partners implementing habitat restoration projects in coastal communities around the country. These projects recover and sustain fisheries in the United States by ensuring that fish have access to high-quality habitats. NOAA selected only 16 projects out of 350 proposals for this round of funding under the program. 

“These funds from NOAA Fisheries provide much needed support for the Similk estuary habitat restoration project,” said Fred Cayou, Board Chair of the Skagit River System Cooperative. “This high priority project benefits SRSC member Tribes and local communities by helping to recover Chinook salmon populations while also reducing flood risks.”  

The Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group from Washington state also received $7.2 million from NOAA to restore floodplain habitat for Chinook and steelhead in the Mid-Columbia River.  

Larsen Continues to Champion Northwest Washington’s Environment 

Rep. Larsen is a strong advocate for protecting Northwest Washington’s environment. He leads annual efforts to fund Washington’s Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups (RFEGs). Last year, he joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) in leading members of the state’s Congressional delegation in a letter urging the Department of Interior to reverse its decision to eliminate funding for RFEGs, a blow to widely supported salmon recovery and habitat restoration efforts and longstanding Tribal partnerships. Larsen also leads bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program through Fiscal Year 2031 and protect the Puget Sound (the ESTUARIES Act). 

Larsen champions annual efforts to support the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF), a critical source of investment for salmon habitat restoration in the Pacific Northwest. His bill to expand federal protections for marine mammals, including Southern Resident Killer Whales in Puget Sound, was included in the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.  In June, Rep. Larsen’s bill to reauthorize the Northwest Straits Commission for seven years so the Commission can continue its work to restore the marine ecosystem of the Northwest Straits region passed the House of Representatives. 

As the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Larsen fought for $1 billion in funding for salmon culvert projects in his Build America 250 Act, a bipartisan, $580 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill. The legislation passed out of committee this May.  

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