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.
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.
[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
