ARLINGTON, Va. – National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson today issued the following statement cheering President Trump’s decision to roll back plans to breach the Lower Snake River dams. The dams serve as a critical source of reliable, always available electricity for the Pacific Northwest, and were jeopardized by the Biden administration.
“President Trump’s announcement smartly helps preserve affordable, reliable electricity for families and businesses across the Pacific Northwest,” Matheson said. “Hydroelectric power is the reason the lights stay on in the region. And as demand for electricity surges across the nation, preserving access to always-available energy resources like hydropower is absolutely crucial. We appreciate the administration’s continuing commitment to smart energy policies and unleashing American energy.”
The four Lower Snake River dams supply reliable, affordable and carbon-free hydropower to 52 co-ops in eight Western states served by the federal Bonneville Power Administration. Hydropower comprises 80% of BPA’s electric generation capacity.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape. As local businesses built by the consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful ties to rural America and invest $15 billion annually in their communities.
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