WILD FIRE

AS WE ALL KNOW, WILDFIRES POSE A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO OUR COMMUNITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE HAVE SEEN THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS OF WILDFIRES THROUGHOUT OUR REGION, AND WE KNOW THAT WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LET DOWN OUR GUARD. To mitigate wildfire risk, our board has adopted a wildfire mitigation plan, which includes an extensive vegetation management program to reduce the likelihood of a fire.

Strategic tree trimming and vegetation management reduces the frequency of downed lines causing power outages. Proactive trimming and pruning keep lines clear and allow for more reliability.

If you have dead or dying trees that you are

AS YOU KNOW, THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST’S (PNW) MAIN SOURCE OF POWER COMES FROM OUR HYDROELECTRIC DAMS LOCATED THROUGHOUT

OUR RIVERS. The PNW receives over 85 percent of its renewable energy from our hydroelectric system according to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. The remaining small percentage of power comes from wind, biomass, nuclear and solar. According to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the hydropower plants in our dam system convert around 90 percent of falling water into electrical energy. By comparison, a wind turbine has only a 50 percent conversion rate at times of peak wind, and solar only functions when the sun is shining. Therefore, our region’s most dependable, clean and affordable source of power remains to be hydro.

In 2020, Washington state passed the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), which requires all state electric utilities to become carbon-neutral by 2030 and 100 percent carbon-free by 2045. Inland Power understands the importance of this law and is committed to a carbon-free goal. MAINTAINING AND INVESTING IN HYDROELECTRICITY IS KEY TO ACHIEVING THIS MEASURE. WE WILL CONTINUE OUR FOCUS

TO REMAIN VOCAL ABOUT OUR DESPERATE NEED FOR HYDROPOWER DURING BOTH OUR STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE INTERACTIONS. Our region cannot solely rely on wind and solar based on the limited power and reliability they provide. We know that to achieve CETA’s carbonfree goal, our hydroelectric dams must stay intact. We encourage our members to get involved and help us in our mission to keep utilities affordable and protect our power supply. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HYDROPOWER, VISIT INLANDPOWER.COM/HYDROPOWER.