Outage Map
By Brent ten Pas
With a new presidential administration and the convening of the 119th U.S. Congress, the landscape of policy and regulatory priorities is shifting, setting the stage for significant changes on various issues.
For not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperatives depending on the Bonneville Power Administration for wholesale electricity, these changes could introduce familiar challenges and emerging threats to the affordability, sustainability, and reliability of the clean, renewable hydropower they rely on.
Last fall, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a study effort as an outcome of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, an agreement between the federal government and plaintiffs—including the state of Oregon, the state of Washington, and 4 confederated tribes—to put a moratorium on litigation started in 2001. The study includes examining the prospect of removing the 4 lower Snake River dams.
These dams play a vital role in the region, capable of generating up to 3,000 megawatts—enough energy to power a city roughly the size of Seattle. The dams produce around 1,000 average MW annually, about 11% of the Federal Columbia River Power System.
Additional benefits include keeping the lights on during extreme weather events—as last year’s winter ice storms demonstrated—when intermittent wind and solar can’t be relied on. And, as the Northwest’s demand for power is projected to grow 30% over the next decade, this carbon-free, reliable baseload will be essential in helping meet future energy needs. Replacing this hydropower with intermittent alternative energy sources is expected to increase electricity costs and reduce grid reliability.
Public power organizations throughout the Northwest will engage with the new administration, members of Congress, and relevant federal agencies to advocate for a more balanced approach to allow the dams and fish to coexist successfully.
Rumors continue to circulate regarding efforts to pressure the new administration to consider privatizing BPA and other power marketing administrations’ transmission assets and hydroelectric facilities. This threat has surfaced in previous administrations, dating back decades.
In 2024, Oregon faced a record-breaking wildfire season. More than 1.9 million acres burned, and the blazes cost an estimated $350 million to fight—the most expensive in the state’s history.
Central Electric Cooperative’s 5,300 square miles of service territory has its share of high wildfire-risk areas. While we have an ambitious wildfire mitigation plan and aggressive vegetation management program to keep our rights of way clear, we cannot control weather or human-caused fires. Despite these cost-intensive measures, wildfire liability threatens rural cooperatives’ financial future, and the Oregon Legislature needs to address this challenge.
Numerous other issues for this year’s legislative session are getting our attention, including streamlining transmission development and capping electric utility rate increases.
New & Familiar Faces
Though November’s general election occurred just a few months ago, the holiday season and new year may make it seem but a distant memory. Here is a quick refresher on who is representing CEC members in Central Oregon:
United States Congress
- Representative Janelle Bynum (5th District) In Oregon’s hottest contested congressional race, four-term state legislator Janelle Bynum defeated one-term Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican, by 3% points. The district stretches from the southeast corner of Portland through the eastern half of the Willamette Valley, then crosses the Cascades into Sisters, Redmond, and Bend.
- Representative Cliff Bentz (2nd District) The former state legislator begins his third term representing portions of Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern Oregon. Bentz serves on the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries, overseeing federal hydropower systems. He recently was appointed to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Oregon State Legislature
- Senator Anthony Broadman (27th District) The attorney, small-business owner, and former Bend city councilor defeated Republican Michael Summers for the open seat previously held by Senator Tim Knopp.
- Senator Mike McLane (30th District) The former state representative who served in the house for almost 2 decades before being appointed circuit court judge for Crook and Jefferson counties ran unopposed in the district. The Republican legislator represents the largest Senate district in the state, which includes portions of Deschutes and Jefferson counties and all of Eastern Oregon.
- Representative Emerson Levy (53rd District) and Jason Kropf (54th District) Both incumbents cruised to reelection. Levy, whose district includes Sisters, Tumalo, south Redmond, and North Bend, serves on the Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment.
Kropf, the former deputy district attorney for Deschutes County, begins his third term representing most of Bend and serves as chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Keep Informed, & Be a Voice
We need your help as the legislative year unfolds and encourage you to sign up for Oregon Voices for Cooperative Power on the Voices for Cooperative Power website, a platform to stay informed and speak up about energy policies affecting your life.