Power shortage or money grab?

One regional utility alone – Avista – had brownouts that affected 15,307 ratepayers last Monday, 6,793 last Tuesday and another 602 last Wednesday. Other utilities, too, had brownouts.

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 electricity in the entire United States. Our dams provide power to much of the West Coast, including California and British Columbia.

Given that fact alone, there is no reason we are experiencing a...