Grand Ronde tribe protests PGE efforts to condemn land at Willamette Falls as court case continues

PORTLAND, Ore. (Portland Tribune) -- Attorneys for Portland General Electric, the Oregon Department of State Lands and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde argued in federal court Wednesday, Dec. 4, over the power company’s efforts to condemn land at Willamette Falls, which the tribes have historically used for fishing.

In Portland’s Lownsdale Square, just outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, where the arguments took place, members of the Grand Ronde tribes rallied together, voicing their opposition to PGE’s legal maneuvers.

Spanning the river between West Linn and Oregon City, Willamette Falls was a significant spot for tribes across the region for centuries before white settlers made their way west. Native people gathered at the falls to fish and trade. As the pioneers settled in the area, Willamette Falls became a hub for industrialization, and the Willamette Falls Electric Co., which later became PGE, built a hydroelectric dam in the late 19th century.

In 2022, PGE moved in federal court to condemn about 5 acres of land along the banks of the falls. The complaint argued PGE had authority to condemn the land based on the Federal Power Act, which pertains to hydroelectric projects.

PGE contends that, although the state does not own the land under dispute, the Department of State Lands claimed an ownership interest in the site in 2018 when it granted the Grand Ronde tribes permission to build a fishing platform there. In Wednesday’s proceedings, attorneys for all sides presented oral arguments over PGE’s motion for summary judgment — a legal filing which requests the court decide the case without a trial.

Read full story at Portlandtribune.com.

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