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Northwest Energy Security Act 'Fails Not Only Salmon, Ecosystem but Tribal Communities' by Teresa Mueller Lookout Eugene-Springfield, May 12, 2025

Oregon is bountiful in beauty and potential energy from sun, wind and waves. But the condition of salmon and other species in the Columbia River Basin is an indicator of trouble in paradise.

Monies thrown at the problem of dwindling salmon has not paid off. And hydroelectric power has become more variable and less reliable. That's why I oppose U.S. House bill 626, which according to the bill's text, would "provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System." The bill is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash.

U.S. H.R. 626, also called the Northwest Energy Security Act, fails not only salmon and their ecosystem but the tribal communities that have been working with the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative to undo some of the harms we've inflicted on both culture and nature in Oregon.

The Northwest Energy Security Act would lock us into a sadly failing system. People and wildlife whose lives have been intertwined with this river since time immemorial have a critical stake in its fate. Local economies and our energy future also depend on its condition, so if cultural and ecological legacies do not thrill you, think financial resilience.

According to the NW Energy Coalition, the lower Snake River dams in southeast Washington that proponents of the bill say are critical to our energy needs produce a mere 4% of regional power. Unimpressive.

U.S. Rep. Hoyle, D-Ore., please, vote "no" on U.S. H.R. 626.