April 8, 2024
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-02), joined by Congressman Paul Gosar (AZ-09), sent a letter addressed to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Young, expressing concerns about the Biden Administration’s approach to energy affordability across the Western United States and Pacific Northwest as well as seeking transparency on the future of the Lower Snake River Dams.
This request comes in response to the Biden Administration’s proposal to disable and incapacitate the hydroelectric Lower Snake River dams as a means to recover salmon populations. Such action would not only harm the environment, but also negatively impact the local power grid and the cost of energy for ratepayers already struggling to keep up with Bidenflation. The U.S. Energy Information Administration noted just last month that hydropower generation fell to a 22-year low between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023.
In a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Young, the lawmakers wrote:
“It is indisputable that a breach of the Lower Snake River Dams would lead to innumerable challenges across the Pacific Northwest.
“The Biden administration’s actions threaten the economic vitality and environmental stability of our region, and it is critical that we understand the potential impacts of any decisions made regarding the future of the Lower Snake River Dams.”
Congressman Bentz continued, “These dams provide irreplaceable benefits not only to the ratepayers of Oregon, but to the entire Western United States. The planned removal of these four dams by the Biden Administration is a direct attack on ratepayers, clean energy production, and navigation in the Northwest.”
Read the letter HERE.