Department of Energy’s announcement comes after the Washington congressional delegation urged the Trump Administration not to privatize BPA
U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, has added her voice to others in Washington’s congressional delegation applauding the U.S. Department of Energy’s decision not to sell off the assets of the Bonneville Power Administration.
It was a possibility included in President Donald Trump’s budget last year, but the department announced this week they would not move in that direction.
Herrera Beutler joined Reps. Dan Newhouse, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dave Reichert in authoring a joint statement following the Department of Energy’s announcement.
“On behalf of the 12 million residents and businesses in the Pacific Northwest who rely on the clean, affordable hydropower generated from BPA, we applaud the Administration for responding to our concerns over the potential sale of BPA’s transmission assets and making the formal decision to abandon such plans,” the statement reads.“We have voiced our strong opposition to this proposal and are grateful to Secretary Perry for continuing to study the impact a sell-off would have on our region and recognizing BPA’s unique and vital role in maintaining economic vitality for our Northwest communities. It’s a big relief to know that this harmful proposal will not be pursued.”
Herrera Beutler was among 15 members of Congress from the Pacific Northwest to send a letter opposing the plan to Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney last year.
