Op-ed by: Anne Hedges and Tamara Kennedy, Seattle Times
For decades the Northwest has enjoyed affordable, abundant and clean electricity. We enjoy some of the lowest electric rates in the country because of our hydropower resources and now, with vast wind and solar resources at hand, we can meet future challenges, too.
Because of rising electricity bills, growing energy needs, increasing temperatures and declining snowpack, we must redouble our efforts to create an electric power system for the future that meets our needs while protecting salmon, steelhead and other natural resources that our Northwest economy and cultures depend on. Whether one takes the perspective of an electric customer, a utility providing power or a salmon trying to survive a warming world, we must take action now to preserve and enhance the quality of life that makes our region special.
