Oregon lawmakers are continuing to keep the pressure on the Trump administration over workforce reductions at the Bonneville Power Administration, saying the U.S. Department of Energy’s recent decision to reinstate 89 probationary employees is not enough.
In a letter sent to President Donald Trump, seven Democratic senators and House members said that still leaves the region’s largest transmission grid operator short of more than 200 workers – 10% of the workforce.
About 125 workers took the Trump administration buyouts and 105 are taking early retirement. In addition, BPA also has rescinded 90 new job offers and has a hiring freeze.
Many of those leaving hold essential positions with years of experience, including power dispatchers, substation operators, line workers, engineers and electricians, the lawmakers said.
BPA, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, owns and operates 15,000 miles – 75% – of the Northwest’s high-voltage transmission lines. It markets hydropower from 31 federal dams in the Columbia River Basin and supplies a third of Northwest electricity.
“The weight of this destabilization will bear down on the entire region, most heavily in rural areas that rely on public utilities purchasing BPA power,” the Oregon lawmakers wrote in the letter.
The lawmakers also pointed out that BPA is a self-sustaining agency – its employees, facilities and interest on its debt are funded entirely by the rates it charges its customers and hence electric ratepayers in the Pacific Northwest. That means workforce reductions at BPA won’t lead to the federal government saving any taxpayer money, they noted.
“If the administration’s goal is truly to ensure reliable, secure, and affordable energy, then why are you actively dismantling the most effective and self-sustaining power system in the country,” they wrote.
The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Maxine Dexter, Andrea Salinas, Janelle S. Bynum, Suzanne Bonamici and Val Hoyle.
Oregon’s only Republican member of Congress, Rep. Cliff Bentz, did not sign the letter. Rep. Bentz, R-Ontario, has previously said he fully supports Trump’s efforts to cut spending. His office couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.
The U.S. Department of Energy also did not respond to a request for comment on the letter.
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