Lower Snake River dams are essential

By Mike Sheetz, Ron Gold and Jack Janda | Mason County PUD 1 Commissioners

For years, our PUD and the Northwest public power community at large have tried to communicate to our public ratepayers that the Lower Snake River dams are an essential source of clean, reliable, renewable and affordable hydropower generation for Mason County and for millions of households in the Northwest.

Mason County PUD 1 receives over 85% of our energy from hydropower. The four lower Snake River dams — Ice Harbor, Lower Monument, Little Goose and Lower Granite — are a part of the Federal Columbia River Power System...