Oregon Utility Leaders Criticize Gov. Kotek's Stance on Dam Litigation

Les Penning, CEO of Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative, joined utility administrators from across Oregon in sending a pointed letter to Gov. Tina Kotek on March 9, sharply criticizing her support for operational changes to Columbia and Snake River dams that reduce hydropower generation and warning that ratepayers could face steep electricity cost increases as a result.

The letter, signed by consumer-owned electric utility leaders including Robert Echenrode of Umatilla Electric Cooperative, Richard Jolly of Milton-Freewater, Nate Rivera of Hermiston Energy Services, and Andy Fletcher of Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative, takes direct aim at Kotek's characterization of a Feb. 25 federal court ruling. The governor described the preliminary injunction, which requires changes to dam operations aimed at helping salmon migrate to the Pacific Ocean, as a "win" that would have a "modest impact" on the region's electric system.

The letter offers a starkly different accounting. "Preliminary analysis paints a much different picture," it reads. "A 6% rate increase almost overnight because of this ruling. When adding this to cost-based rate increases within the last 12 months, our utility customers may face a 17% rate increase year over year. This does not represent a 'modest' rate increase for our utility customers, nor most Oregonians by any stretch." The letter attributes these figures to preliminary analysis; no independent verification of the projections has been published.

The frustration expressed in the letter extends beyond the court ruling itself. The signatories noted that member-owned cooperatives and other electric utilities first raised alarm in October 2025, when Oregon moved to resume litigation over dam operations, arguing the state was "supporting litigation that threatens our most essential source of steady, carbon-free electricity." That earlier outreach, the letter says, went unanswered.

"We did so respectfully and with urgency, asking for a conversation and reiterating your 2022 commitment that consumer-owned utilities would have a 'seat at the table' in discussions about the future of the Federal Columbia River Power System," the letter states. "We never received a response. Governor, we are disappointed that our earlier outreach did not result in dialogue. The stakes are too high to continue down this path without direct engagement. Oregon's utility customers deserve transparency about the rate impacts, reliability implications, and long-term replacement strategy, if one exists."

Conservation advocates praised the court's Feb. 25 injunction. Earthjustice attorney Amanda Goodin called the ruling overdue, saying the changes "are immediate and reasonable steps to prevent salmon extinction" and that "salmon need help now and we're encouraged the court has granted immediate, commonsense relief that will help protect imperiled Northwest salmon and steelhead."

No response from the governor's office had been published at the time this article was prepared. The Baker City Herald reported it had emailed the governor's office requesting a comment on the letter. For Baker County, where Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative serves members across a largely rural region dependent on affordable and reliable power, the rate impact projections carry particular weight as federal dam policy and state litigation strategy continue to collide.