In reply to comments made by Lane Electric Cooperative General Manager Scott Coe regarding the increased release of water over dam spillways on the Columbia and Snake rivers, his recent message to customers said this will result in a rate increase of about 6%. Combined with rate increases the previous year, he states it would add up to a 17% increase. Coe attributes this increase to Gov. Tina Kotek’s support of a lawsuit that spurred the requirement of increased spillway flows.

Washington state also supported the lawsuit, as did many residents in Oregon and Washington who support water release to mitigate negative environmental outcomes from the dams. 

Though Coe may be passionate in his desire to keep rates down for Lane Electric ratepayers, his comments come across as somewhat political and short-sighted. He is advocating for continued dependence on an aging resource – the Bonneville Dam was completed in 1938 – while competition for water and electricity rises. Mitigating water release over spillways will be a continued need in order to maintain downstream fisheries as population and business growth leads to increased competition for water and electricity.

I am a Lane Electric customer/ratepayer and would like to see it diversify into other clean energy resources with far less environmental impact. This is a great opportunity to begin such planning. Because of climate change and many other factors, there appears to be less water available for the generation of electricity. What we do seem to have in abundance is sunshine and wind. 

These resources should be available during peak daytime usage, with hydropower used to supplement these sources. When I inquired of Lane Electric about wind or solar programs to help install these on our property, I was told it had no programs and was not able to refer us to other programs that might be able to assist us (this has been over the past two to three years). When we did energy-efficient window replacements last year, Lane Electric had no resources or programs to assist us.

Real people are impacted by this rate increase. Coe’s job is to help manage Lane Electric for the future. It is time for it to do the tough work of moving our power grid into sustainable, clean wind and sun power.

Debbie Christensen
Pleasant Hill