(PORTLAND, OR) -- On Earth Day especially, it’s important to
recognize that the Northwest is a unique region where hydropower provides 90
percent of our renewable energy and keeps the air clean. New poll results show
a growing awareness of hydro’s benefits to the region’s environment and
economy.
When asked, 3 out of 4 Northwest residents identified
hydropower as a clean, renewable energy resource. Moreover, a majority of
residents (54 percent) consider hydropower to be the region’s most practical
energy resource right now. Wind energy comes in at a distant second at 15
percent, with solar energy finishing third at 6 percent, according to the poll
conducted by Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall (DHM Research) for Northwest
RiverPartners.
“Wind and solar
energy tend to get more attention, but Northwest residents need to know that
hydro is what keeps the lights on,” said Terry Flores, executive director of
Northwest RiverPartners. “Earth Day reminds us that clean, renewable hydropower
is the Northwest’s special legacy and the reason our carbon footprint is half
that of other parts of the nation.”
The 75 percent of Northwest residents who identify
hydropower as clean, renewable energy is a slight increase from early 2013,
when DHM conducted a similar poll. The percentage who views hydropower as the
most practical resource also increased, from 47 to 54 percent of respondents.
And 7 in 10 Northwest residents continue to believe that their state
legislatures and Congress should declare hydro as a renewable energy source.
Flores credited her organization’s “CleanHydro” (cleanhydro.com)
awareness effort, now in its second year, for helping to increase public
support for and understanding of hydropower and the multiple benefits of the
Columbia and Snake river system. Despite progress, there is more work to be
done, especially among younger people and transplants to the Northwest who are
less familiar with hydro’s benefits, Flores said.
“Many people simply have not grown up with the dams and may
not have a complete understanding of the rich resources our rivers provide,”
Flores says. “The goal of CleanHydro is to educate them about the Columbia and
Snake rivers and the benefits of the clean, renewable energy they generate.”
DHM conducted the online poll of 1,200 residents of Idaho,
Oregon and Washington State in late February. Additional findings in the poll
show an appreciation for dams beyond the benefits of hydroelectric power. 74
percent of Pacific Northwest residents believe dams provide vital flood control
that protects lives, private property and the economy of local communities. 78
percent say irrigation for farms that feed the Northwest and beyond is another
fundamental asset provided by dams.
When it comes to the Snake River dams, specifically, the
poll shows that a majority of residents agree they are critical to the
Northwest. 60 percent of residents consider the four federal dams critical to
the region and agree that removing them is an extreme measure that would do
more harm than good. Only 11 percent indicated support for removing the dams. 29
percent of respondents answered, “don’t know” when asked about the issue.
“These poll results demonstrate significant public support
for the Snake River dams and for hydropower in general,” Flores said. “But they
also show us that we can and should do more to spread awareness about the
multiple benefits of hydropower to the Northwest, not just on Earth Day, but
all year-round.”
