(WASHINGTON, DC) - - At a May 7 budget hearing Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development that there will be no more staffing cuts at the Bonneville Power Administration.
“We [DOE] have been specific in saying we can’t have people leave from Bonneville Power and the other power-marketing agencies, because I don’t think we have room to reduce head count there anymore,” Wright said.BPA lost 194 employees in the Trump administration’s first round of deferred resignations, and 162 in the second buyout offer, a considerable loss to its workforce of around 3,000. Federal power marketing administrations have struggled to fill key roles, especially in control centers and line crews. NWPPA supports ensuring healthy staffing levels at the power marketing administrations, which s critical for ensuring that safe, reliable, and affordable power is available in the Northwest.
“We sincerely appreciate Secretary Wright’s commitment to maintaining healthy staffing levels at both BPA and WAPA—two agencies that play a vital role in supporting community-owned electric utilities across the West,” said NWPPA CEO and Executive Director Kurt Miller. “As a critical next step, we urge the U.S. Department of Energy to lift the hiring freeze at the power marketing administrations to ensure they have the workforce needed to meet today’s energy challenges.”
