Voices from across Oregon.

Real letters from ratepayers, workers, and community leaders speaking out against the lawsuit threatening the Federal Columbia River Power System.

Restricting Hydropower Will Hike Costs for Oregon Families

Roger M. Kline · Cascade Policy Institute · 2026-08-07

Oregon’s support for a federal court ruling to curtail hydropower production will result in higher electricity bills and less reliable energy for Oregon families. As the backbone of the grid, hydropower provides cost-effective and immediate power that cannot be easily replaced by other sources without forcing consumer-owned utilities to buy expensive open-market electricity.

Read in Cascade Policy Institute →

Readers respond: Hydropower lawsuit hurts affordability

Todd Simmons, Kyle Roadman, Tony Schacher · Oregonian/OregonLive · 2026-07-13

This July 13, 2026 letter to the editor - drafted by managers of three consumer-owned utilities - in The Oregonian argues that Oregon's federal hydropower litigation contradicts the state's stated commitment to affordability. The lawsuit led to a court order requiring more water to be spilled over Columbia and Snake River dams, reducing available carbon-free hydropower — which BPA says will raise electricity bills another 6-7%, at a time when 73% of Oregonians are already struggling to afford increasing costs of living. The authors note their utilities already spend about 27 cents of every dollar on fish and wildlife habitat, argue hydropower and salmon can coexist, and call for collaboration over litigation.

Read in Oregonian/OregonLive →

Expect higher electric bills and dirtier power for Lane County. Here’s why.

Jeff Jones, Scott Coe, and Kyle Roadman · Lookout Eugene-Springfield · 2026-06-29

This summer, when temperatures climb and air conditioners run around the clock, Lane County utilities like ours will pay more for electricity because of the State of Oregon's energy decisions. A court order resulting from the State of Oregon’s choice to pursue litigation now requires Columbia and Snake River dams to divert more water away from the turbines that generate hydropower. The result is less affordable, clean power available for Oregon families.

Read in Lookout Eugene-Springfield →

Guest Column: Oregon’s Energy Strategy and the CRSO Lawsuit—A Growing Policy Contradiction

Scott Simms · Clearing Up (newsdata.com) · 2026-06-22

Oregon's push for aggressive electrification and salmon recovery litigation creates a policy contradiction that threatens regional energy reliability and affordability. By curtailing hydropower—the state’s largest source of zero-carbon, dispatchable energy—policymakers risk increasing reliance on expensive, carbon-intensive market purchases and undermining public confidence in centralized planning.

Read in Clearing Up (newsdata.com) →

Future of clean energy and salmon depends on collaboration, not courts

By Peter DeFazio and Norm Dicks · Seattle Times · 2025-11-14

When President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Bonneville Dam in 1937, he called it a “yardstick for the future” — a promise that the Pacific Northwest could generate clean, affordable power for all. Nearly nine decades later, that promise endures. Hydropower remains the beating heart of our region’s clean energy system, providing reliable, carbon-free electricity to millions of homes and businesses.

Read in Seattle Times →