Energy Secretary praises hydropower, slams environmental agenda ‘climate craziness’

Energy Secretary Chris Wright stood against a rainy backdrop of the Ice Harbor Dam to praise the value of hydroelectric power to the Northwest during his first visit in office to the Tri-Cities on Thursday.

“Hydro is a different kind of electricity,” he said. “… Dispatchable power that is there when you need it is high-value power.”

His remarks in a short news conference came after decades of proposals to tear down the four lower Snake River dams in Eastern Washington – from Ice Harbor Dam near Pasco to Lower Granite near Lewiston, Idaho.

His planned aerial tour of Washington state’s Snake River dams had to be canceled because of the weather.

In June, President Trump signed a memo intended to save the lower Snake River hydropower dams, reversing Biden administration actions that helped support efforts to remove the hydroelectric dams.

Hydropower is the reason that Northwest electricity prices are below the national average, Wright said.

In contrast, he said, Washington state “has done most everything wrong” related to gasoline. Gas prices are higher only in two states, Hawaii and California, he said. Criticism of ‘environmental agenda’

Wright criticized unnamed environmental groups, saying, “the environmental agenda has been hijacked by just climate craziness. People that don’t understand climate change and don’t understand the energy system have hijacked all the energy and all their sources away from real environmental issues and have gone in an unproductive direction.”

He said the Trump administration is trying to bring back commonsense and better environmental outcomes, affordability and job opportunities.

Asked about the administration’s support for wind and solar development as energy storage batteries become more efficient, Wright said that dams are the main source of energy storage for the nation.

States that have renewable energy standards have 30% higher electricity rates on average than other states, he said.

“Our vote is for lower electricity prices, not higher electricity prices,” but if a way can be found for solar production to compete in the marketplace and deliver reliable, affordable electricity, he would be all for it, Wright said.

Now wind and solar have had 33 years of subsidies, he said.

Wright said his preference is to have as little subsidization of electricity as possible.

However, the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by Trump does have eight years of subsidies to revitalize the nuclear energy industry and launch the next generation of geothermal power, he said. Wind and solar subsidies are scheduled to end, he said.

Permitting possibilities for wind and solar are not being undercut, he said in response to a question. But there has been some rushed permitting of those projects over the objections of locals, he said.

He said the Trump administration is trying to have a fair and reasonable permitting process for all energy sources.

In anticipation of Wright’s visit and an expectation that he would discuss the Trump administration’s strong support for hydroelectric dams, a coalition of 15 environmental groups and others released information saying the Columbia River and lower Snake River dams have been a primary obstacle to recovering endangered salmon in the Snake River.

They also disputed the value of the dams for electricity production, saying that the electricity could be replaced with “modern clean energy alternatives.” Hanford site questions

Wright did not answer a question about a plan proposed under the Biden administration to construct one of the largest, if not the largest, solar and battery projects in the nation on unused land on the Hanford nuclear site in Eastern Washington. He said he was not aware of the project. He is scheduled to tour the Hanford site and meet with its leaders on Friday.

Wright also took a question about his reported hesitation to begin treating radioactive waste for disposal at the Hanford nuclear site’s vitrification plant in October, more than two decades after construction on the plant started.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in September that Wright told her that he was planning to curb the start of glassification of radioactive waste at the huge plant because of safety concerns.

Wright denied that, saying it was a “crazy story.”

“We are committed to cleaning up the nuclear legacy across the United States from World War II and post-war efforts,” he said.

The Hanford nuclear site adjacent to Richland was used from WWII through the Cold War to produce nearly two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons complex.

Among the contamination and waste left from that work, is 56 million gallons of radioactive and hazardous chemical waste stored in underground tanks, many of them prone to leaking.

The vitrification plant was built to turn much of that tank waste into a stable, but still radioactive, glass form for disposal.