Rolling on the River: Hydropower as a Reliable Form of Clean Energy

With new and improving clean energy sources on the rise across the country, this Clean Energy Week I am highlighting our most reliable form of baseload energy: hydropower.

As a proven energy source providing affordable power for over 30 million Americans, hydropower sustains low rates, even in high demand. Grids operate on a meticulous balance between production and usage. On a second-by-second basis, the amount of energy produced must be the same as what is being consumed. Hydropower's ability to respond to rapid changes in demand, and even store water for emergency use, makes it a necessity for places like the Pacific Northwest that have extreme temperatures in both the hot and cold months of the year.

Oure region is fortunate to have the four Lower Snake River dams that keep our grid secure during high-demand times. Collectively, dams provide the Pacific Northwest with nearly 90% of its renewable energy while adding a plethora of other benefits like transportation and port economies. The dams on the Snake River have allowed the town of Lewiston, Idaho to be the most inland seaport city through barge traffic-a mode of transportation with a significantly smaller carbon footprint than trucks or rail-that transports goods up and down the system.

Yet rather than applauding this renewable source of clean energy and transportation, the administration has thrown its weight behind the effort to breach the dams. It's an effort that completely contradicts its climate and carbon agenda.

Studies have shown us that if a CO2-free replacement to the dams was attempted, it would cost billions of dollars and result in rate increases that would fall to home and small business owners that rely on community-owned utilities. The reality we face is that, as energy demands continue to increase, we literally cannot afford to kill our most reliable form of energy.

Washington state's population alone is projected to increase by one million people in the next decade. We need to be in the business of adding new energy to our grid, not taking it away. Striking the balance between energy needed to sustain consumer needs is undoubtedly always a challenge, so removing such a significant brick in our foundation could be catastrophic for the Pacific Northwest as a whole.

This Clean Energy Week, I point to Central Washington as an example of how all forms of clean energy work together to sustain a dependable grid. Every source plays its parts, and the reality is that some play a bigger role than others. It is incumbent upon us in local, state, and federal governments to employ common-sense policies that work for consumers, producers, and our environment so that we may continue to benefit from and innovate new forms of clean, affordable, and reliable energy.