Northwest River Partners tells Richland council hydropower remains region’s backbone amid fish, staffing and reliability concerns

Clark Mather, executive director of Northwest River Partners, told the Richland City Council on May 27 that hydropower remains the foundational source of electricity for the region and for the City of Richland.

Mather said the City of Richland receives about 99.5% of its electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration, and that Bonneville’s 2023 fuel mix was roughly 78% hydropower and about 11% from Columbia Generating Station—“just shy of 90% carbon free,” Mather said. He and colleagues from Northwest River Partners argued that the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) provides large amounts of clean, affordable energy and supports river navigation and irrigated agriculture.

Why this matters: Council members asked how the ongoing public debate over dam operations and proposed removals would affect reliability, fish returns and local rates. Presenters said a loss of the Snake River federal projects would pose serious regional reliability and economic risks and that investments paid by BPA customers support extensive fish‑and‑wildlife mitigation programs.

The presentation: Mather and other Northwest River Partners staff—Austin Rohrer, deputy executive director, and Victor Valerio, outreach and research manager—reviewed data on adult salmon and steelhead returns and framed outreach…