Secretary Burgum Applauds Presidential Action to Protect Hydropower in the Columbia River Basin

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum applauded the revocation of the Biden administration’s “Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin” presidential memorandum. This action issued by President Donald J. Trump, protects the power generation of four hydroelectric dams on the Snake River within the Columbia River Basin.  

“This administration will not stand by while American energy is threatened. We are fiercely committed to keeping energy affordable, reliable, and made in America. Today, President Trump took decisive action revoking a Biden-era policy that jeopardized four critical hydroelectric dams powering communities along the Snake River. Now is not the time to shut down American energy. Instead, we’re keeping the lights on, costs low, and putting the American people first,” said Secretary Doug Burgum. 

The Columbia River Basin is one of the largest hydropower producing regions of the country – producing nearly 44 percent of our country’s hydropower and over 29 gigawatts of generating capacity. This Biden administration policy threatened to eliminate over 3,000 megawatts of secure and reliable hydroelectric generating capacity in this area – which is enough generation to power 2.5 million American homes. 

Under President Trump, Secretary Burgum and the Department of the Interior are advancing stable and low-cost hydropower. Hydropower is not only one of the oldest sources of energy – powering our nation for more than 100 years – but it provides reliable and affordable energy for more than 30 million American homes. Beyond powering our homes, hydropower plants can also dispatch power immediately to our nation’s energy grids, helping balance the grids and providing essential back-up power during electricity outages or disruptions.

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