Electricity should be for locals first

Why are there power shortages, rolling brownouts and blackouts in the Pacific Northwest?

One regional utility alone – Avista – had brownouts that affected 15,307 ratepayers on June 28, then 6,793 the next day, and another 602 on June 30. Other utilities had brownouts too.

I know we’ve had a day or two of record-setting high temperatures. But that’s not an excuse to shut down power to residents and businesses here in Eastern Washington.

Columbia River basin dams generate roughly 44% of the electricity in the entire United States. Our dams provide power to much of the West Coast, including Calif...