• 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:

  • Finalists announced for Montana State’s $100K Venture Competition
  • Wyoming Activities Association Consider Allowing High School Athletes To Get Paid
  • Montana State University to Honor 2,465 Graduates at Spring Commencement on May 9
  • State Superintendent Honors 46 North Dakota Educators as County Teachers of the Year
  • South Dakota to Distribute 20,000 Naloxone Kits in Statewide Overdose Prevention Effort
  • U.S. Lumber Coalition Accuses Canada of Dodging Responsibility for Unfair Softwood Lumber Trade Practices

Primary Sidebar

Digital News Updates Logo

Recent News Posts

  • Montana State University creates new master’s degree program dedicated to manufacturing
  • U.S. Lumber Coalition Accuses Canada of Dodging Responsibility for Unfair Softwood Lumber Trade Practices
  • Gov. Gianforte Signs MEPA Reform Package, Aims to Boost Energy Sector and Cut Red Tape
  • Wyoming Power Plant May Be Proving Ground For Emissions-Free Coal Burning

Recent Politics Posts

  • Proof of citizenship for voter registration, voter ID fails in Michigan
  • SCOTUS decision on religious charter schools will carry widespread ramifications
  • Trump Signals Extension of TikTok Divestment Deadline
  • Lummis Behind Bill To Force U.S. Mint To Stop Making Pennies

Recent Business Posts

  • Montana State University creates new master’s degree program dedicated to manufacturing
  • Anheuser-Busch Produces 100 Millionth Can of Emergency Drinking Water for U.S. Communities
  • Stocks Soar as Trade Hopes Fuel Nine-Day Streak
  • Amazon Sellers Stockpile Inventory Amid Tariff Hike, But Relief May Be Short-Lived

Copyright © 2025 Digital News Updates, All Rights Reserved.