U.S. District Court Judge James Robart issued a judgement on Feb. 10, reaffirming his earlier ruling that allowed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform maintenance dredging in the Snake River near Clarkston, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho.

The Corps completed routine dredging in February 2015 to help keep the Snake River’s navigation channel at its authorized depth. The Corps used the material it removed to create downstream, shallow-water habitat for juvenile salmon. A collection of environmental groups and a tribe later filed a lawsuit against the Corps, alleging violations of the National Environmental Policy and Clean Water acts.

“This ruling is very positive news,” stated Kristin Meira, Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association. “We are pleased that the Court recognized the Corps’ thoughtful approach to maintaining navigation on our river system while addressing the needs of our migrating fish.”

Judge Robart’s critical ruling helps keep commerce moving efficiently on one of the greatest trade arteries in the country: the Columbia-Snake River System. The river system moves nearly half of all U.S. wheat, making it the top wheat export gateway in the nation.

Wheat is big business in Washington State. We’re ranked fifth in the nation in wheat production. It’s our third highest-ranking crop, bringing in $1 billion for the state’s agriculture and food industry and supporting thousands of jobs in farming and related fields.

Wheat is important at the Port of Vancouver USA, too. It’s our biggest export by volume; 2.2 million metric tons moved through the port in 2015. Port of Vancouver tenant United Grain Corp. moves about 10 percent of U.S. wheat – mainly from farmers in Eastern Washington and Oregon, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota – from the West Coast to Asia.

We’re pleased that this ruling allows the Corps to continue performing critical maintenance, keeping the Columbia-Snake River System and our region open for business.