Energy Secretary Chris Wright reiterated the Trump administration’s support for the Lower Snake River dams in a visit to Washington state, highlighting the dams’ ability to provide affordable power to millions of Americans, including electric cooperative consumer-members.
On Dec. 4, Wright traveled to the Ice Harbor Dam in southeastern Washington, where he emphasized the importance of hydroelectric power. Together, the four Lower Snake River dams can generate over 3,000 megawatts of reliable, affordable and carbon-free electricity and supply power to 52 electric co-ops in eight Western states.
The last visit from a top government official to the dams was from President George W. Bush in 2003, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla district office.
“The hydropower assets in Washington state and the Pacific Northwest are why you’ve got well below national average electricity prices here,” Wright said during his visit, which included a stop at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “The Trump administration wants to do everything we can to keep it that way. We want the thriving economy in Washington state and affordable electricity prices everywhere and always.”
After extensive advocacy by NRECA, President Donald Trump in June revoked a Biden administration agreement from 2023 that paved the way for breaching the federally owned Lower Snake River dams over concerns about their impacts on endangered salmon populations.
Among other things, the Biden-era memorandum required the dams to decrease electric output and allocated millions of dollars in funding for pro-breach studies, mitigation and replacement power. However, the ultimate authority to breach the dams lies with Congress.
The dams are a major source of low-cost, reliable, carbon-free power at a time of growing electricity demand in the region. They also provide navigation, irrigation and recreation benefits, and breaching the dams would adversely affect farmers, the transportation sector and economically disadvantaged rural communities, NRECA CEO Jim Matheson has testified in Congress.
“The Lower Snake River dams are essential to keeping the lights on across the northwest United States,” Matheson said Dec. 4. “Secretary Wright’s visit to the Lower Snake River dams reflects this administration’s acute understanding of the critical role the dams play in supporting the region’s economy.”
“We thank President Trump and Secretary Wright for prioritizing smart energy policies that keep the lights on at a cost people can afford.”
Molly Christian is a staff writer for NRECA.