Photo Credit: Russ Ricketts
An Energy Future for the Columbia River
Columbia Riverkeeper envisions and advocates for an energy generation, storage, and transmission system in the Pacific Northwest with the following attributes:
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Truly renewable and carbon neutral power, not produced using fossil fuels or nuclear reactors regardless of where or how generation occurs;
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Honors Tribal sovereignty and shifts the negative externalities of existing energy production and transmission away from Tribes and frontline communities
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Accommodates river restoration (including Lower Snake River dam removal) and river operations necessary to support healthy and harvestable fish populations.
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Allows native fish and wildlife populations to persist and recover in abundance and to support robust traditional human uses, including Tribal, sport, and commercial salmon fishing;
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Accommodates the needs of low-income households and does not shift the cost of generation or transmission to serve large new industrial loads onto ratepayers
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Manages load growth intentionally, minimizes peak load, and prioritizes efficiency over new generation as a response to load growth
We understand, and welcome, that achieving this energy future will require substantial changes to our region’s regulatory and physical infrastructure.
Regulatory changes may including restructuring Bonneville Power; the creation of a regional independent system operator to manage generation and transmission; the continued development of West-wide energy markets to increase utilization of renewable generation; restrictions on where and how major new loads (including data centers) can be built; and the application of Oregon’ and Washington’s clean energy regulations and climate goals to all energy utilities and all forms of generation, including fracked gas.
