Statement from Warm Springs Tribal Chairman Dennis White III Regarding the White Liquor Spill at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co.

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. — The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are calling for strict environmental accountability and full transparency following a catastrophic industrial accident in Longview, Washington, that left 11 workers dead and flushed diluted chemical wastewater into the Columbia River.

In an official statement released by the Tribal Council, Warm Springs Tribal Chairman Dennis White III expressed deep grief for the lives lost before firmly asserting the Tribe’s treaty-protected responsibility to safeguard the river ecosystem.

“We have a responsibility to speak on behalf of the Columbia River,” Chairman White said. “We are river people. We come from the Big River. Our river is a way of life, and water is life.”

The Longview Disaster

The environmental emergency stems from a massive industrial failure on May 26, 2026, at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Longview, located roughly 50 miles north of Portland. A 900,000-gallon storage tank containing “white liquor”—a highly corrosive, toxic chemical mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in pulp manufacturing—catastrophically imploded.

The industrial disaster is already being cited by state officials as one of the deadliest workplace tragedies in Washington state history. Eleven millworkers were killed in the blast and subsequent chemical release, which occurred during a morning shift change.

NIPPON DYNAWAVE PACKAGING SPILL AT A GLANCE

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Location:        Longview, Washington (Columbia River Mile 66)

Incident Date:   May 26, 2026

Casualties:      11 fatalities, 8 injuries

Chemical:        White Liquor (pH ~14 caustic pulp agent)

Volume Spilled:  Estimated several hundred thousand gallons

Eco Impact:      2,200+ dead fish collected in local ditch network

While the vast majority of the caustic fluid was successfully contained on the factory grounds, hundreds of thousands of gallons breached local drainage networks. During the chaotic initial emergency response, heavily diluted chemical runoff was routed through Longview’s network of sloughs and dikes directly into the main stem of the Columbia River.

Protection of Treaty Rights and Salmon Runs

Federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington Department of Ecology, have monitored the river water continuously since the disaster. Unified Command officials report that the active chemicals did not cause the Columbia River to exceed normal pH ranges, and no fish kills have been observed in the main river channel. Environmental response crews have, however, collected more than 2,200 dead fish from the localized ditch and dike system feeding into the waterway.

For the Warm Springs people, whose rights to fish the Columbia and its tributaries were explicitly reserved under the Treaty of 1855, any chemical introduction into the ecosystem poses a profound threat to future generations and culturally vital salmon runs.

Chairman White noted that emergency protocols must balance immediate human safety with long-term ecological preservation, emphasizing that the Tribe’s legal rights to these ancestral fishing grounds are “not symbolic” and remain repeatedly upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board alongside Washington State Labor and Industries have launched comprehensive investigations into the structural integrity and maintenance records of the failed Nippon Dynawave tank. Tribal leadership states they will remain actively involved in demanding full transparency as those federal and state investigations unfold.

Full Statement from Warm Springs Tribal Chairman Dennis White III

“First and foremost, we are saddened to hear of the workers who lost their lives in Longview. We extend our prayers and deepest condolences to their families, friends, coworkers, and the entire Longview community during this difficult time.

At the same time, we have a responsibility to speak on behalf of the Columbia River. We are river people. We come from the Big River. Our river is a way of life, and water is life. We have a responsibility to speak for our river—we are its voice.

In 1855, our people reserved, by Treaty, the right to fish at our usual and accustomed fishing places along the Columbia River and its tributaries. These rights are not symbolic; they are legally protected and have been repeatedly affirmed by the United States Supreme Court. The Columbia River is more than a waterway. It is a source of food, economic sustenance, and the foundation of our cultural and spiritual traditions. Our people have depended on this river since time immemorial. Our ancestors, elders, and community members have fished these waters for generations, and future generations will continue to do so.

When decisions are made during an environmental emergency, the long-term protection of natural resources must be considered alongside immediate public safety concerns. Contaminated water was directed into the Columbia River—a living ecosystem that is directly connected to our people, our culture, and our way of life.

While reports indicate that river conditions currently meet established safety standards, we can only hope those assessments prove accurate for the well-being of the Columbia River. We speak on behalf of the river when we say that we pray the effects of this chemical contamination do not impact the future health of the river, its habitat, its fish populations, or future salmon runs.

We will continue to advocate for transparency, accountability, and the highest level of environmental protection. We owe that responsibility to the Columbia River and to the generations who will depend upon it in the future.”