Bull Trout Lawsuit Targeting Columbia Basin Dams Dismissed

BOISE (AP) — A federal lawsuit by an environmental group seeking to force federal agencies to analyze whether about two dozen dams operating in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana are harming bull trout has been dismissed.

U.S. District Court Judge Marco Hernandez in a ruling last week said federal agencies took action after the lawsuit was filed in July that met demands sought by the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, making the lawsuit moot.

The lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation sought to force the agencies to complete consultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on how to operate the dams in areas designated as critical bull trout habitat.

The federal agencies in their motion to dismiss said those consultations have been started or reinitiated.