Lawmakers write letter to keep Bonneville Power Administration independent

Every lawmaker representing Washington, Oregon, and Idaho urged the U.S. Energy Department to maintain an independent Bonneville Power Administration that puts Northwest power users first, in a bipartisan letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz sent Friday, Nov. 8.

Led by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the 23 members emphasized the importance of correcting discrimination against hiring veterans that occurred at BPA. However, that discrimination cannot become an excuse for DOE to take control over Northwest energy policy, they said.

“BPA decisions must be made in the Northwest for the benefit of the Northwest. While DOE deserves credit for uncovering BPA’s violation of veterans’ preference and other federal hiring rules, on many BPA matters DOE simply has neither the expertise nor the resources to effectively manage the day-to-day operations,” the members wrote.

The delegation asked Moniz to publically state that the recent decision by DOE to impose new oversight of Bonneville’s legal and hiring decisions will not become a Trojan horse to dictate policy decisions from Washington, D.C.

“We respectfully request that you and Deputy Secretary Poneman clarify that it is not your intent to extend DOE headquarters day-to-day oversight of BPA beyond that necessary to remedy the acknowledged failures of the BPA personnel system,” they wrote.

The members formally asked the Energy Department to provide monthly reports to the Northwest Congressional delegation about its oversight of BPA, as long as the increased DOE oversight is in place.

The members asked Moniz to explain how it will address veteran hiring discrimination cases, as well as how long it will take to resolve the illegal hiring practices.