This agreement called for putting long-running legal battles aside and investing in the restoration of endangered Columbia River fish runs. Environmental groups, along with Oregon, Washington and four Lower Columbia River tribes filed a motion on Thursday to lift a stay that had paused the court fighting. He is pushing a bill in Congress that would block federal funds from being used to tear down the Snake River dams or to study removing or altering them. “Extreme environmentalist groups are once again trying to breach the Lower Snake River dams through litigation,” Newhouse said in an emailed statement on Friday. “The Lower Snake River dams are vital to our way of life in the Pacific Northwest, and I oppose any and all efforts to breach these critical pieces of infrastructure.”Oregon Gov.