The Department of Energy has issued a statement from U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright regarding a recent Presidential Memorandum signed by President Trump. The memorandum aims to halt the Columbia River Basin policy initiated by the Biden Administration.
“The Snake River Dams have been tremendous assets to the Pacific Northwest for decades, providing high-value electricity to millions of American families and businesses," stated Secretary Wright. "With this action, President Trump is bringing back common sense, reversing the dangerous and costly energy subtraction policies pursued by the last administration. American taxpayer dollars will not be spent dismantling critical infrastructure, reducing our energy-generating capacity or on radical nonsense policies that dramatically raise prices on the American people.”
The memorandum revokes the previous administration's directive titled “Restoring Healthy and Abundant Fish.” It instructs federal agencies, including the Department of Energy, to retract from policies perceived as costly. These policies could have led to a reduction in hydroelectric generating capacity exceeding 3,000 megawatts—enough power for approximately 2.5 million homes.
Under the Biden-era agreement, the federal government was expected to spend over $1 billion and adhere to numerous commitments aimed at replacing services provided by the Lower Snake River Dams. The possibility of breaching these dams was also under consideration. According to estimates, breaching could have doubled power shortage risks in the region, increased wholesale electricity rates by up to 50%, and incurred costs reaching $31.3 billion for replacement.
