ICYMI: Trump Delivered a Big Win for Western Montana

I know we mentioned it on the radio a while back as the news broke, but in case you missed it- President Trump delivered a big win for Western Montana.

(And that's on top of the wins for public access and our timber industry...as President Trump's USDA announced the reversal of the Roadless Rule and the recent agreement with the Forest Service and the State of Montana)

Here's the other big win President Trump delivered for Western Montana: he basically ripped up that secret agreement between the Biden Administration and the left coast states of Oregon and Washington, and instead signed an order to save hydropower dams in the Pacific Northwest. Those dams are important for electricity consumers here in Western Montana in particular.

Back in 2022, Flathead Electric Cooperative told me that customers could see a 25% rate hike if the dams on the lower Snake River were breached.

Thankfully, President Trump issued an executive order reversing that Biden era plan to breach the dams by undoing the Columbia River MOU, which mandates operational changes at the dams to justify breaching. MECA CEO Gary Wiens expressed his strong support for the order, “More than 200,000 Western Montana electric co-op members stood to lose access to the affordable, reliable, carbon-free electricity provided by the lower Snake River dams because of the Columbia River MOU. Montana’s co-ops are grateful to President Trump for taking action to reverse it.”

Montana’s congressional delegation, Governor and state legislature have all taken strong positions and actions against the MOU and dam breaching.

The Montana Electric Cooperatives’ Association toured two of the dams to investigate the effects of operational changes called for in the MOU and learned they dramatically reduced power generation and harmed the fish populations they were supposed to protect, available here: https://www.mtco-ops.com/lower-snake-river-dam-series/

President Trump’s Executive Order directs the agreement previously reached between the federal government, states of Oregon and Washington and four Pacific Northwest tribal nations be invalidated. The agreement settled litigation over management of the Columbia River Basin and required operational changes and expenditures intended to reduce power production and benefit fish recovery.