Congressman Doc Hastings' Statement on the 75th Anniversary of the Completion of Bonneville Dam and Creation of BPA

Statement

Below is a statement from Congressman Doc Hastings on the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Bonneville Dam and the creation of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). BPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Reclamation are hosting a celebration today from noon to 4 at the Bradford Island Visitor Center at Bonneville Dam.

"I would like to congratulate BPA on their outstanding achievements, and the vital role that the agency and their employees have played for the last 75 years in delivering clean, renewable hydropower to Pacific Northwest families, businesses and utilities," said Congressman Doc Hastings. "The 1937 completion of the Bonneville Dam marked an important turning point in our region's history. In addition to bringing hydropower to the Pacific Northwest, Bonneville and the dams that followed made possible a vital navigation link for barges from the Palouse to the Pacific Ocean -- giving farmers and other businesses a more cost-effective option to get their products to markets both domestically and overseas.

There is no question that the challenges faced by BPA have changed, and in many cases intensified over the years," Hastings said. "Yet, BPA continues to rise up and meet those challenges. I firmly believe that the key to ensuring that BPA can continue to deliver affordable power to the Pacific Northwest is to protect and strengthen the hydropower system from endless court-ordered mandates by a federal judge that supports taking out our dams, and unfunded agendas from Washington, DC that increase costs for ratepayers. Once again, I would like to congratulate BPA on their 75th anniversary, and wish them the best for countless more years of delivering clean, inexpensive and renewable hydropower to the Pacific Northwest."

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