Oregon/Washington Litigation Represents a ‘Hidden Tax’ on Electricity, Increased Threat of Blackouts (Northwest Public Power Association)

NWPPA Calls for Course Correction, Transparency from Oregon and Washington

December 16, 2025

(VANCOUVER, WASH.) - -  The US Department of Justice filed its response last night to a motion for injunctive relief against Columbia River System Operations. The motion is led by the State of Oregon and supported by the State of Washington. In its filing, DOJ included cost estimates provided by the Bonneville Power Administration. BPA estimates Oregon’s motion would raise rates for the not-for-profit utilities it serves across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming by an alarming 17%, with electricity customers bearing the costs.[i]

The measures in the motion for injunctive relief would deplete the region of much-needed reliable, affordable, carbon-free hydropower without providing any proven benefits for salmon. In last night’s filing, BPA also warned of the inevitability of frequent grid emergencies--meaning likely energy shortages and rotating blackouts--if the motion for injunctive relief is approved by the court.

“The litigation is like a hidden double-digit tax on electricity customers that threatens real harm to lower-income families, schools, farms, and businesses without providing any proven benefits to salmon,” said Kurt Miller, CEO & executive director of NWPPA. “BPA’s official analysis directly refutes plaintiff groups’ unsupported assertions that the lawsuit would have little impact on electricity rates or public safety."

“NWPPA and its partner organizations, including the Public Power Council, Northwest RiverPartners, Washington Association of Wheat Growers, and the Inland Ports and Navigation Group, previously warned that the latest round of litigation, initiated by Gov. Tina Kotek and supported by Gov. Bob Ferguson, threatens to hurt the very citizens who they were elected to represent,” Miller continued.

Several recent reports demonstrate the Pacific Northwest is at an abnormally high risk of blackouts.[ii],[iii] Meanwhile, residents across the Northwest report affordability as a top energy concern as residents continue to face price pressures across essential goods.[iv]

Miller noted that there is an opportunity to build upon Northwest examples where tribes, utilities, and agencies partner on solutions—such as the Upper Columbia United Tribes’ Phase 2 Implementation Plan (P2IP)[v]—that improve salmon outcomes without sacrificing clean, dispatchable hydropower.

“Northwesterners deserve solutions, not surprises,” Miller said. “We invite federal action agencies, tribal leaders, and state energy and environmental departments to the same table with public power utilities to craft a workable, science‑based package that protects salmon and keeps hydropower abundant, reliable, and affordable.”

NWPPA is not a party to the litigation, but appreciates the efforts of intervener defendants, such as the Public Power Council, Northwest Requirements Utilities, and the Inland Ports and Navigation Group, which are dedicating time and resources to defend the benefits of the federal hydropower system. Any questions pertaining to litigation efforts on behalf of public power and its navigation and agriculture partners should be directed to those entities. 

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About NWPPA

NWPPA is a not‑for‑profit regional association representing over 150 community‑owned electric utilities across 10 Western states and British Columbia. NWPPA also serves more than 400 associate members allied with the not‑for‑profit utility industry. For more information, visit www.nwppa.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.

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[i] Multiple factors impact customer rates. BPA expert testimony indicates the measures in the injunctive relief motion would add 17% rate pressure to Preference Customer rates (i.e., not-for-profit utilities who have long-term contracts with BPA). For not-for-profit utilities, 100% of the costs are borne by the customers.

[ii] Solutions to Improve Interregional Transmission Planning and Permitting

[iii] NERC 2025 Winter Reliability Assessment

[iv] Pacific Northwest residents worried about electricity costs more than climate change, according to recent polling – Northwest RiverPartners

[v] Phase 2 Implementation Plan (P2IP): Testing Feasibility of Reintroduced Salmon in the Upper Columbia River Basin - Upper Columbia United Tribes

 

Pacific Northwest Residents Worried About Electricity Costs More Than Climate Change, According to Recent Polling (Northwest RiverPartners)

New survey shows people concerned about rising energy costs and strongly support our region’s hydroelectric system

December 8, 2025

(VANCOUVER, WA) - - Pacific Northwest residents are feeling the pressure of rising energy costs, according to recent opinion polling commissioned by Northwest RiverPartners.

In a region with historically affordable energy, residents across Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho expressed concerns about electricity costs. Nearly nine in 10 residents, or 88 percent of those surveyed, reported that the cost of electricity is a serious or somewhat serious problem.

Affordability has now overtaken climate change as the top energy concern for Pacific Northwest residents for the second year in a row, according to this survey, challenging a widely held assumption that climate change is the most pressing energy worry. Northwest RiverPartners has partnered with the independent research firm DHM to administer this statistically significant survey since 2007.

“Rising energy costs are impacting folks around the country, but especially here in the Pacific Northwest. We need energy stability to help reduce financial uncertainty for our residents, small business owners and farmers. As the cornerstone of our region’s energy system, hydropower continues to stand out as the leading source of affordable, clean and reliable energy,” says Clark Mather, executive director of Northwest RiverPartners.

To underscore the growing concern about energy costs, according to the U.S Energy Information Administration, between May 2024 and May 2025, the average energy price for retail electric customers in Washington state increased by 12.6 percent, compared to only a 6.5 percent increase nationally.

“When prices rise everywhere—from groceries to housing—energy bills don’t exist in a vacuum,” says LaTasha Wortham, Deputy Director of Customer Experience and External Affairs at Tacoma Public Utilities. “We are seeing a growing number of customers seeking assistance with their energy bills for the first time. These economic pressures are having real impacts on our customers and communities.”

Despite growing concerns about cost, hydropower maintains broad bipartisan support in the Pacific Northwest. 77 percent of residents surveyed stated they support the use of hydroelectric dams. Hydropower is viewed by residents as a renewable and affordable source of energy, and when asked about removing dams on the lower Snake River, fewer than one in four support it. Half of the residents cited rising electricity costs as one of their top concerns with dam removal.

“Right now, families are under intense pressure. We’re talking to parents, seniors and working people who are making impossible choices just to cover the basics like rent, food, childcare and keeping the lights on,” says Alan Walker, executive director of the Chelan Douglas Community Action Council. “When you’re worried about meeting your most fundamental needs, the day-to-day reality is focused on survival.”

To learn more about the residential polling on hydropower and the growing concern about energy costs, visit the Northwest RiverPartners website.