Sams is coming home
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, January 15th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WASHINGTON, D.C. – National Park Service Director Chuck Sams is coming home. As President Donald Trump is inaugurated, that means many high-level presidential appointees are out of jobs.
“We will move back to Pendleton at the end of the month,” Sams wrote. “I will join the governor’s staff and await confirmation by the Senate.”
Sams was nominated to the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council by Gov. Tina Kotek. Her nominations must be approved by the Oregon Senate.
The Northwest Power Act of 1980 authorized Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington to develop a regional power plan and fish and wildlife program to balance the environmental and energy needs of the Northwest. The council’s mission is to ensure, with public participation, an affordable and reliable energy system while enhancing fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin.
Sams, an enrolled member in the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, has held positions including director of communications and interim director of CTUIR. He wrote that he’s looking forward to getting back home.
