Co-op supports 'clean hydro' power

We want to make our Flathead Electric members aware of something that has been a part of the Northwest way of life for over 75 years, yet is often overlooked: how hydropower dams and the incredible power of the Northwest’s rivers benefit our daily lives.

A public education campaign, called CleanHydro, is being coordinated by Northwest RiverPartners, an alliance of utilities, ports and farming organizations that advocate for a balanced approach to managing the federal hydropower system in the Northwest. We at Flathead Electric are members of Northwest RiverPartners and are proud to be supporting this effort, now in its second year.

Did you know that hydropower accounts for 90 percent of the Northwest’s renewable energy? Hydropower is clean; it doesn’t burn any fossil fuels and keeps our regional carbon footprint about half that of other parts of the country. Rounding out the hydropower narrative are the many other benefits that hydropower provides the Northwest, namely employing thousands of our friends and neighbors and transporting billions of dollars of agricultural and other products out to the world.

In recent years, hydropower has faded into the background of public awareness. The kind of understanding and appreciation for the tremendous economic and environmental values of this resource simply isn’t what it once was. The reasons for this are twofold.

First, the demographics of the Northwest have changed. Many people have moved into the Northwest from other places where they didn’t grow up with dams and hydropower. And younger generations aren’t being educated about the benefits of hydropower as much as they used to be.

Second, the energy industry has changed dramatically in recent years. We’ve seen huge growth in other renewable sources of energy, particularly wind. This has played prominently in the media and given rise to a perception that these newer non-hydro technologies are the only renewable generating resources out there; while hydropower has been consistently overlooked.

This is why we need to continue to actively tell the incredible story of our dams and hydropower through CleanHydro. Last year, the campaign demonstrated its value to the Northwest’s environment and economy. In polling done following the campaign, 77 percent of Northwest residents identified hydropower as a clean, renewable source of energy, up from 72 percent. Public support for Congress and state legislators to officially (legally) identify hydro as a renewable resource increased by 6 percent. And the campaign showed residents want to see more hydro in their future.

But our work is not done, which is why it is so important for Flathead Electric to be a part of this public education campaign again this year. It will take a sustained effort to regain lost ground and to keep the value of hydro firmly planted in the public’s mind and in conversations and debates about our energy future.

CleanHydro is about re-joining the conversation and bringing hydropower back into the mainstream dialogue. It’s about reminding people of the tremendous energy, economic and environmental benefits these resources bring to their everyday lives. Telling that comprehensive story will help people appreciate and understand why hydropower makes the Northwest the envy of the rest of the country.

We hope you’ll take a moment to visit CleanHydro.com, which features additional factual information about the Northwest’s hydropower and river system.

We have a great story to tell. We all should be proud that we’re part of it and we encourage you to join this conversation.

Johnson is general manager of Flathead Electric Co-op.