Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) participated in a listening to held by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water to listen to Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm testify on the fiscal yr 2025 company funds request.
During the listening to, Secretary Granholm refused to acknowledge the long-term implications of the Columbia River Systems Operation Agreement are a de-facto breach of the Snake River Dams.
Watch Rep. Newhouse’s remarks HERE or learn remarks as ready beneath:
“Thank you, Chairman. Welcome, Secretary Granholm. It is great to see you here today to testify to the subcommittee on DOE’s FY2025 budget.
I look forward to discussing our national energy challenges and the energy issues which impact my district.
The preservation of the four Lower Snake River Dams is critically important to Central Washington. For years, I have worked to combat environmental activists and dam breaching advocates efforts to breach them. In December, the administration finalized an agreement in the Columbia River System Operations litigation. The agreement acknowledges only Congress has the authority to physically breach the dams, which I appreciated. However, it makes commitments to develop energy replacement for the dams as well as recommending spillage operations.
Stakeholders have expressed reservations. If it comes to fruition, the results will be catastrophic. Adjusting spillage operations will make the dams functionally useless. Energy prices will skyrocket, recreationists will suffer, and the salmon population will be harmed. It is a de-facto breaching of the dams.
Madam Secretary, are you willing to admit the administration is recommending policy that represents de-facto breaching of the dams in an effort to circumvent congressional authority as the sole decision maker on dam breaching?
I would like to transition into discussing the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is a leading hydropower lab conducting innovative research for DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office. DOE professes a “clean energy” agenda centered on effectivity, low vitality prices, and renewable vitality. You have acknowledged hydropower’s function in attaining this.
In April 2023, you testified earlier than the Senate Committee on Commerce. In response to a query, you acknowledged hydropower was a – ‘renewable, cheap, form of power that we should be expanding… and not reducing.’ I couldn’t agree extra. Yet, DOE has proposed a $40 million funds minimize to the Water Power Technologies Office in FY25. This minimize would cripple PNNL’s hydropower efforts and is proof of DOE’s tacit struggle on hydropower that unfairly favors wind and photo voltaic growth.
Madam Secretary, why is DOE proposing to chop analysis and growth into hydropower applied sciences after we want low-cost, clear, and dependable vitality greater than ever earlier than?
In Central Washington, the personal and public sector has achieved nice work to advance all-of-the-above vitality growth – from hydrogen manufacturing services, to small modular nuclear reactors, photo voltaic and fusion vitality initiatives, and sustainable aviation gas services.
Do you help this sort of an all-of-the-above strategy to vitality growth that features – hydropower, nuclear, wind, photo voltaic, hydrogen, oil, fuel, and fusion vitality?
Another problem I wish to talk about is the Hanford Site. DOE has labored to cleanup the radioactive waste left from the plutonium manufacturing facility in what’s the largest environmental cleanup the U.S. has ever seen. I’ve at all times advocated for satisfactory cleanup funding to make sure the federal government fulfills its obligation to cleanup the positioning.
Recently, this funding has culminated in lots of accomplishments. Hanford accomplished warmth up of the primary melter and poured the primary non-radioactive take a look at glass. Now, the warmth up course of for the second melter has began. Funding wants will develop as vitrification continues and the High-Level Waste Facility work ramps up. With that mentioned, there are cleanup initiatives elsewhere underway that require cleanup funding.
How does DOE plan to make sure their will probably be sufficient funding to go round with out sacrificing the wants of individual websites like Hanford?
Also regarding Hanford is the Office of River Protection. It is predicted to sundown quickly and it’ll mix with the Richland Operations Office. The Office of River Protection was created to make sure Hanford’s tank waste operations bought applicable consideration. But, now, I concern it would get all the consideration and the work of the Richland Operations Office will probably be ignored.
What assurances are you able to give that the scope of labor inside each places of work will get equal consideration as soon as the places of work are mixed?
Last yr, DOE introduced the Cleanup to Clean Energy Initiative which goals to lease underutilized DOE land to develop clear electrical energy initiatives at DOE websites. Hanford is among the websites. DOE additionally introduced the issuance of Requests for Qualifications providing 18,000 acres for growth. The Tri-City group has issues concerning the trajectory of this initiative. They allege DOE has been unwilling to switch land again to the group and has been favoring short-term photo voltaic initiatives that disincentivize traders who’re on the lookout for long-term investments in nuclear and hydrogen growth.
As effectively, constituents are complaining the administration is just not listening to their issues and fascinating in coverage making that picks vitality winners and losers primarily based on a pre-determined agenda. While DOE has hosted group roundtables, their is a distinction between inviting teams to take part and taking their suggestions whereas incorporating it into your closing determination.
What assurances are you able to give that DOE will work with the Tri-City group to include their requests into land use choices and pretty assess all clear vitality purposes associated to this initiative equally?”
Rep. Newhouse is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and serves on the Agriculture, Energy and Water, and Homeland Security subcommittees.
To study extra and watch the total listening to, click on right here.
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