Dam Discussion Heats Up

The last few weeks have been huge for the Lower Snake River Dam discussion. The U.S. government announced billions of dollars in commitments to six parties (Washington, Oregon and four tribes) that create a “pathway to breaching” and could mean up to 40% increases in BPA power rates with the stated goals of benefiting salmon and bolstering tribal obligations. You may have heard about this a bit already, but here are some resources to learn more about the proposals, the concerns, and more:

• Public Power Council summarizes their concerns in a news release about the Federal Decision.

• Northwest River Partners has a few news items and responses, including this article about the secret agreement. You can find more news releases and other resources on their website.

• Pres. Biden released a Fact Sheet about the agreement on the White House website.

• A few days before the agreement went completely public, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing entitled “Left in the Dark” which can be viewed on YouTube.

• Get a compilation of news releases from all sides of the issue through Energy News Digest.