WAWG
In late February, Michelle Hennings, executive director of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers (WAWG), testified in front of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) during a public hearing on the draft 2026 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife program. The NPCC is congressionally mandated to update its program every 10 years and is funded by a percentage of customers’ electric bills.
Hennings told the council that average fish returns have been increasing, which supports the idea that the dams and salmon can coexist and demonstrates that coordinated investments and improved operations can produce real gains for fish populations. She highlighted the importance of the dams to wheat farmers, explaining that more than 55% of all U.S. wheat exports move through the Columbia-Snake River System.
The dams also provide low-cost hydropower to the region, helping to stabilize the electrical grid during peak seasonal demands. That dispatchability supports irrigation infrastructure and grain-handling facilities during critical times, such as seeding and harvest, reducing the need for costly on-farm backup energy generation.
“At the same time, maintaining and improving hydropower operations must go hand in hand with strong measures to protect and restore salmon, such as fish passage improvements, flow management and operations when appropriate, habitat restoration, and monitoring predation management,” she said. “Continued investment in modernized dam operations and habitat will help sustain both energy reliability and healthy fish populations. When balanced effectively, these efforts sustain regional energy affordability and reliability while protecting fisheries, tribal resources, and the economic resilience of Washington wheat farmers and rural communities.”
Rising energy costs and declining reliability are squeezing wheat farmers during an already difficult period by increasing operating expenses and disrupting time sensitive activities such as irrigation, planting, and harvest. WAWG supports solutions that preserve affordable, reliable hydropower while strengthening fish recovery efforts, both of which are essential to the long-term viability of Washington agriculture communities.