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Utility leaders urge Congress to protect Columbia River hydropower and oppose breaching Lower Snake River dams
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Summary
At the House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing, Lower Valley Energy and other witnesses urged Congress to defend the Columbia River system and the Bonneville Power Administration’s operations, arguing breaching the Lower Snake River dams would harm grid reliability and affordable power.
Jim Webb, president and CEO of Lower Valley Energy, told the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries that the Columbia River system and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) are essential to regional grid reliability and affordable power and asked Congress to block efforts to breach the Lower Snake River dams.
Webb said hydropower provides “nearly 30% of all renewable generation” in the United States and described hydropower as “uniquely dispatchable, carbon free, affordable and essential to maintaining grid reliability.” He told the subcommittee that about 85% of his cooperative’s supply comes from hydropower and that BPA markets power from 31 federal hydro projects and operates a network of over 15,000 miles of transmission lines. “Stated more plainly, BPA rate payers, not taxpayers as was already mentioned, fund its workforce and programs,” Webb said.
Webb criticized a 12/14/2023 memorandum of understanding among federal agencies and nongovernmental groups that he said “paves the way for breaching of the 4 lower Snake River dams,” and questioned recent NOAA analyses that he said depart from earlier studies. He warned that breaching would eliminate about 3,000 megawatts of flexible hydropower, “compromise grid reliability, increase energy bridal, and place additional strain on already congested transmission corridors.” Webb said investments in fish mitigation already account for roughly 25% of monthly BPA bills and pointed to data he said show salmon returns have increased threefold since the dams were built.
Committee members pressed witnesses on how to reconcile salmon recovery and hydropower. Webb described operational measures and engineering improvements used to help fish, including managed spill, fish-friendly turbine designs and ladders, and said other factors — ocean conditions, predators and climate — also affect salmon returns. He urged Congress and regional partners to pursue solutions that support both fish recovery and continued hydropower operations.
No formal agency action or court orders were issued during the hearing. Members encouraged continued oversight and urged stakeholders to submit technical and policy recommendations to the committee.
