Outage Map
The price of Oregon’s litigation is a more expensive, less reliable, and more carbon-intensive electric system.
By Ted Case
On October 14, conservation groups and the state of Oregon filed suit in federal court asking for an urgent reduction in the amount of power generated at 8 federal dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers. The litigation, aimed at altering the operations of federal hydroelectric dams for salmon, will have dire consequences for more than 1,000,000 Oregonians who rely on the affordable, clean energy produced by the backbone of Oregon’s clean energy infrastructure—the Federal Columbia River Power System.
A Threat to Affordability
In October, leaders of 34 of Oregon’s consumer-owned utilities—known as COUs—across the state wrote Oregon Governor Tina Kotek that the litigation could dramatically increase electricity rates, especially for low-income households already struggling with rising energy costs. The letter points out that the governor herself has acknowledged that “too many Oregonians are struggling with high energy bills.”
The problem is about to get worse.
Some experts have correlated the operational changes to the river in the lawsuit to a high-spill alternative in the 2020 Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement. The CRSO-EIS determined this alternative could lead to pressure to raise Bonneville Power Administration’s wholesale power rates by as much as 40%.
Oregon’s COUs will have no choice but to increase retail electricity rates, which fall disproportionately on low-income households and those on fixed incomes.
Higher Risk of Blackouts & Increased Carbon Emissions
Pacific Northwest utilities face growing uncertainty and mounting pressure to add generating resources to bolster the grid and serve a projected increase in demand for electricity. The litigation, however, threatens grid reliability for a state that has already faced near-blackout conditions during heat domes and ice storms.
“Instead of channeling energy into lawsuits, we’re calling on Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, and other leaders to channel their energies into a pragmatic partnership rooted in science and progressive values,” former U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio wrote in a recent op-ed for The Seattle Times.
“I have serious concerns about (the lawsuit),” former Bonneville Power Administrator Randy Hardy told Clearing Up. “Hydropower from the Columbia and Snake river dams provides nearly emission-free electricity and serves as a critical buffer during extreme weather events.”
The lower Snake River dams, for instance, supply roughly 25% of BPA’s operating reserves, enabling rapid response during outages or demand spikes.
The 2020 EIS noted the high-spill option had “the probability of power shortages... with blackouts or emergency conditions in roughly 1 of 3 years.” The option would also require “substantial additional resources” to maintain regional reliability, including natural gas, at a cost of $242,000,000.
Furthermore, the EIS makes clear that if a substantial amount of hydropower is reduced—as it would under Oregon’s lawsuit—“additional generation from existing thermal resources, such as natural gas, would likely be used to balance for the variable nature of renewable resources.”
This outcome is counter to Oregon’s energy strategy, which calls for the state to be a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Salmon & Sustainability
The COU letter to Governor Kotek also points out that these utilities are the primary funders of the world’s largest fish and wildlife mitigation program. At Lower Granite Dam, salmon and steelhead returns have more than quadrupled since 1975, according to data from the University of Washington’s DART system.
“We have never shied away from our responsibility to support salmon recovery,” the letter states. “We are committed to continued progress.”
A Call for Collaboration
Perhaps most troubling to COUs is the lack of consultation with the very utilities that rely on the federal hydropower system to serve more than 1,000,000 Oregonians. In 2022, Governor Kotek promised COUs would have a seat at the table in discussions about the future of the federal hydropower system.
This table should also include ports and other community organizations that have rejected renewed litigation and instead called for a collaborative, science-based process to protect and enhance Columbia River salmon populations and sustain affordable, reliable hydropower.
“There is a better way to meet these objectives than in a courtroom,” the letter concludes. “We strongly encourage you to step out of the courtroom and back to the table.”