Clean Water
We work in solidarity with Tribes to restore clean water and healthy fish by reducing toxic pollution.
Climate Action
We use the law, community organizing, and creative communications to stop fossil fuel infrastructure and advocate for a just transition.
Healthy Communities
We engage people who live in river communities to advocate for environmental justice, including strong salmon runs.
Why the Columbia?
The Columbia River is the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest. People depend on the Columbia for clean water, salmon, and much more.
How We Work
We partner with Tribes and unite people to advocate for environmental and climate justice. We use legal advocacy, community organizing, and education to:
Stop Pollution
Fight Fossil Fuels
Save Salmon
Engage Communities
Clean Up Hanford
What’s New
- Protecting the Columbia from big tech’s nuclear proposals
Big tech made a big splash recently. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft all announced plans to fuel their voracious appetite for energy, needed for AI and data centers, using new or resurrected nuclear power plants. In our region, Amazon now says it wants in on a scheme to build new nuclear plants on the Columbia River at Hanford. Read more - Turbulent Waters Ahead
I don’t have to tell you that the recent federal election results are not good for the Columbia River and those who depend on it. Columbia Riverkeeper’s range of talents—including legal acumen, on-the-ground organizing, savvy communications, and a large, active membership—give us the tools to curtail some of the worst effects of the election in our region. Read more - Zenith Energy’s Legacy of Violations and Lies
We know Zenith Energy has a history of violations and misleading regulators. So we decided to answer the question: just how many violations has Zenith committed? The answer is outrageous. Turns out, violations appear to be part of Zenith’s business model. Since arriving in Portland, Zenith has racked up roughly 20 violations from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)! Together, these violations tell the story of a fossil fuel company that has been out of compliance nearly the entire time it has been operating in Portland, a company that has misled regulators to obtain permits to expand operations, a company that cannot be trusted. Read more - NEXT: Water Quality Disaster
Last week marked the end of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ’s) comment period on the NEXT refinery’s water quality permit. DEQ is proposing to issue a permit that will not protect the Columbia River and surrounding waterways from NEXT’s pollution. We know that siting a major refinery on wetlands near the Columbia River Estuary is a horrible idea. That’s why we gave DEQ a laundry list of reasons to deny the permit. Read more
