NE Wyoming News

Congresswoman Harriet Hageman has introduced a new bill that mandates the Bureau of Reclamation to evaluate the economic impact of using the customer-funded Basin Fund for experimental actions outlined in the July 2024 SEIS Record of Decision. This decision would require these costs to be integrated into Reclamation's annual budget.

Representative Hageman expressed concerns, stating, “Once again, misguided policy is driving up the cost of energy for Western states – in this case for hydropower. There will be significant costs associated with cutting hydropower generation at Glen Canyon Dam to address smallmouth bass below the dam, to be paid for by utility customers. These costs are draining the customer-funded Basin Fund, from which operations, maintenance, and other expenses are paid, further exacerbating the challenge. Taxpayers are again left to pay for the consequences of unsound endangered species and climate policies.”

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Colorado River Long Term Experimental Management Plan SEIS Record of Decision was finalized on July 5, 2024. Implementation by Reclamation began shortly after on July 8. The plan involves bypass flows at Glen Canyon Dam to combat predatory smallmouth bass threatening federally protected humpback chub. These flows bypass hydropower generators to cool river temperatures downstream.

The lost hydropower generation requires replacement with power purchased on the open market during peak summer electricity demand. The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) funds these purchases from the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund, which is supported by power revenues from customers.