Lower Snake River Dams: Congressional Subcommittee Hearing Held

Update: The hearing has been completed. Full video of the hearing can be found below. In addition to the video, Congressman Bentz offered the following statement:

Today’s Congressional hearing called out the Biden Administration for engaging in secret discussions to breach the four lower Snake River dams, to impose upon the people of the northwest billions in costs to replace thousands of megawatts of clean reliable power generated by these dams, and, if that was not enough, to force the people of the Northwest to inequitably pay billions in higher utility rates under the guise of building fish runs to levels not seen in centuries.

 

Original Story:

Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-OR) has announced that he will lead an upcoming Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee Hearing related to the Lower Snake River Dams and their importance to the people of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

The hearing will be titled “Left in the Dark: Examining the Biden Administration’s Efforts to Eliminate the Pacific Northwest’s Clean Energy Production.” Experts will testify on the economic, environmental, legal, and inequitable impacts on the removal of the four Snake River Dams. The Biden Administration will also be criticized for what many claim to be an "abuse of power" in making decisions regarding the future of these dams.

Congressman Bentz stated via press release:

The Biden Administration's ongoing attempt to remove the Lower Snake River Dams is a direct attack on our clean energy production in the Northwest. These dams are essential to our energy production, navigation on the Snake River into Idaho, and the agricultural industry. Removing them would be devastating. This hearing will expose this Administration's reckless and destructive policies and give the people most impacted by them an opportunity to be heard.

The hearing took place on December 12, 2023 at 11:00 am PT (2:00pm ET) and can be watched on the House Committee of Natural Resources GOP YouTube channel or in the video above.

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