Hydropower and Water Rights
Hydropower is a key piece in the all-of-the-above energy portfolio and we are fortunate to have the Lower Snake River Dams powering the Pacific Northwest producing approximately 3,800 megawatts of carbon-free energy every year. These dams provide many benefits to our region, including flood control, habitat restoration, navigation, irrigation, and recreation and I am fighting radical efforts to breach these dams both physically and operationally.
Hydropower is an energy source we should be encouraging not dismantling. We know the Lower Snake River Dams power hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses within their vast grid and are particularly helpful after major outages caused by extreme weather and cyberattacks. The evolution of hydropower has proven to be an affordable and reliable source of energy for rural and metropolitan communities across America allowing everyday citizens to heat their homes, operate their appliances, and access clean water. Yet rather than applauding this renewable source of clean energy, efforts to breach our dams persist.
I have said it before, and I will say it again—Congress alone has the authority to breach the Lower Snake River Dams, and as long as I am your representative, I will fight to ensure our dams remain in place.
More on Hydropower and Water Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement upon committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement after the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation announced the withdrawal of the Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Columbia River Systems Operations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement on President Donald Trump's memorandum revoking the Biden administration's executive actions targeting the Lower Snake River dams.
With a unified Republican federal government, my colleagues and I in Congress and in the Trump administration are working to strengthen America’s energy infrastructure and achieve energy dominance. Every energy source across the sector is key in achieving this goal, but my district in central Washington is home to a vital piece of infrastructure in that mix: hydroelectric dams.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement that the agency will review the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) and begin repealing regulations put in place by the Biden administration.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Industry leaders and groups who rely on the Lower Snake River dams released statements applauding Rep. Dan Newhouse’s package of legislation he introduced today protecting the dams and hydropower.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) introduced a package of legislation to protect the Lower Snake River dams and strengthen hydropower as a reliable, affordable source of base load energy.
As a proven reliable and affordable source of baseload energy, hydroelectric dams supply the Pacific Northwest with nearly 90 percent of the region’s renewable energy. Here in Central Washington, these carbon-free sources are the key to our demand-driven grid and a variety of other benefits like transportation, barging, and irrigation.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) introduced the Northwest Energy Security Act to require the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the U.S.