Readers respond: Oregon needs affordable energy, regional collaboration

Hydropower is Oregon’s largest source of clean electricity and the foundation of our regional energy grid. It helps balance supply and demand, especially during extreme weather, when reliability can mean the difference between safety and hardship. As our population grows and more of our economy runs on electricity, we cannot afford to lose dependable sources of energy.

We must also be clear-eyed about the economic challenges people face across the Northwest. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, millions of our neighbors are bearing the brunt of rising electricity costs. EIA’s data show that Oregonians faced an

annual rate increase of more than 11% between 2022 and 2023

– four times the national rate.

Dams, like any energy source, come with environmental impacts, and we continue to invest billions of dollars into new technologies that make fish passage even safer and improve habitats. We are seeing tangible progress.

Salmon and steelhead returns are growing. Recent counts show populations are three times higher than when federal dams on the Columbia River were first built.

Data compiled by the University of Washington

show that

in 1938, when the Bonneville Dam began operating on the Columbia River, fewer than 457,000 adult salmon and steelhead were counted.

In 2024, more than 1,770,000 salmon and steelhead returned.

The people of this region depend on us to address both the realities of energy demand and the urgency of climate change. Let’s embrace a shared responsibility to protect wildlife, keep power affordable and secure a clean energy future.

Clark Mather and Kyle Roadman