(VANCOUVER, WA) -- Earlier this year, several litigants sued the federal government over last year’s Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement and the accompanying Biological Opinion. They also asked for injunctive relief from the US District Court overseeing the case.
By severely limiting the amount of electricity the dams would be allowed to produce, the injunctive relief motion threatened to significantly deplete our region’s hydropower capabilities and greatly increase the threat of regional blackouts, while increasing our carbon footprint with the burning of additional fossil fuels. This outcome would have also created tremendous financial hardships for vulnerable communities across the Pacific Northwest as a result of higher electricity costs.
The agreed-upon settlement, while not ideal, removes many of the most extreme risks to public safety and energy equity, and therefore represents a win for the region.
While we respect that the plaintiffs in this case are doing what they think is in the best interest of salmon, recent peer-reviewed scientific studies call into question the benefit of placing additional limitations on the hydropower system.
More scientists are noting the coastwide decline in Chinook salmon populations and are taking heed of the UN’s warnings that declining marine fish populations can be directly tied to warming, acidifying oceans due to climate change over the past 50 years.
Northwest RiverPartners believes the Northwest is made better by its hydropower resources. These resources provide the region with the lowest carbon footprint of any electric grid in the nation and the most affordable clean energy in the US.
We are optimistic that as the region coalesces around the
importance of decarbonizing our grid, transportation, and buildings, more
policymakers will step up in support of hydropower.
