• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Digital News Updates
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business

Flathead Electric criticizes proposal to remove Snake River dams

December 16, 2023

Newly disclosed settlement documents have brought to light the Biden Administration’s potential consideration of removing four lower Snake River dams, prompting scrutiny from officials at Flathead Electric Cooperative. They argue that the prospective decline in hydropower production may result in increased rates for cooperative members.

Katie Pfennings, the community relations manager at Flathead Electric Cooperative, expressed grave concerns about the potential impact on Western Montana residents. The dams in question are situated within the Columbia River basin, accounting for 60-70% of the electrical needs in the Pacific Northwest, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The basin spans 258,000 square miles, with the Hungry Horse Reservoir at its apex.

The contested dams on the Snake River contribute hydropower to electric cooperatives across the Northwest, including those in Western Montana overseen by the Bonneville Power Administration. This administration markets wholesale electrical power from 31 federal dams through the Federal Columbia River Power System. The Columbia River system has been entangled in prolonged litigation, with recent mediation efforts focusing on tribal treaty rights to a sustainable salmon fishery in the basin.

READ MORE

Filed Under: News

Related Articles:

  • Montana State faculty member studies impact of four-day school week on children
  • Attorney General Knudsen Files Opening Brief in US Supreme Court Case
  • North Dakota Department of Commerce Relaunches Program to Support Entrepreneurs
  • Five Indicted for Transporting Contraband to South Dakota State Penitentiary Inmates
  • Former State Employee Sentenced for Forging Own Medical Marijuana Card
  • Zinke Welcomes Montana’s Inaugural Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.

Primary Sidebar

Digital News Updates Logo

Recent News Posts

  • Gianforte Appoints Members Energy Task Force
  • Gianforte, U.S. Education Secretary Visit Bozeman
  • Five Indicted for Transporting Contraband to South Dakota State Penitentiary Inmates
  • Superintendent Degenfelder Joins U.S. Secretary of Education McMahon

Recent Politics Posts

  • Daines Introduces Bill to Protect Religious Student Groups on College Campuses
  • USITC Advances Probe Into Russian Palladium Imports After Montana Delegation Push
  • Knudsen Leads 27-State Coalition Challenging California’s Magazine Ban
  • Zinke Votes for Short-Term Funding Bill to Avert Government Shutdown

Recent Business Posts

  • Wall Street Rallies to Fresh Highs After Fed Rate Cut
  • Governor Gianforte Welcomes Rivian as First Electric Vehicle Manufacturer in Montana
  • Montana State opens quantum computing facility
  • Warren Buffett Marks 95th Birthday With Reflection on Legacy, Berkshire’s Future

Copyright © 2025 Digital News Updates, All Rights Reserved.