Mar. 6—They did not anticipate their effort would garner such a negative reaction.
Neither Rep. Charlie Shepherd of Riggins nor Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association Executive Director Aaron Lieberman thought a proposed Idaho House Joint Memorial supporting minimum flows in Hells Canyon would be overly controversial.
They expected Idaho Power would oppose the measure that carries no weight of law. But they say the investor-owned utility, which supplies hydroelectricity to 630,000 customers, is one of the state’s most powerful corporations and generates annual incomes topping $200 million, went nuclear.
In a successful effort to kill the memorial, the company sent targeted text messages to Shepherd’s constituents painting the conservative Republican as a Joe Biden acolyte intent on giving away Idaho’s most coveted resource.
“Your legislator, Charlie Shepherd, just introduced House Joint Memorial 9 to give Joe Biden and the federal government more control of Idaho water,” the message declared. “On top of sending huge amounts of water to downstream special interests, it will send energy costs soaring.”
In Idaho’s Republican politics, there are few sins more unforgivable than sending one more drop of water downstream than necessary. Water fuels southern Idaho’s agriculture economy and keeps the turbines at Idaho Power’s 17 hydropower projects spinning.
So why would Shepherd do that and who are those “downstream special interests?”
Power and flow
In the 1950s and 1960s, Idaho Power constructed its three-dam Hells Canyon Complex on the Snake River. The dams swallowed up rapids and wiped out upstream salmon and steelhead runs. But the dams also fuel a region. They account for about 70 percent of the company’s hydropower generation and regulate downstream flows.
The canyon is the deepest gorge in North America, a congressionally designated national recreation area and destination for jet boaters, whitewater rafters and anglers pursuing salmon, steelhead, sturgeon and smallmouth bass.
The recreationists and the outfitters and guides who operate there depend on the company to provide reasonable flows. For years, Idaho Power Company did its best to release a minimum of 8,500 cubic feet of water per second from Hells Canyon Dam. That is the amount the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have said is necessary for safe navigation in the rapid-strewn river.
The goal was an unwritten rule, and in recent years changes to the power market have led Idaho Power to more frequently drop flows below 8,500 cfs. Doing so is allowed by the company’s license that expired 2005. But the lower flows frustrate jet boat operators and can add to elevated water temperatures.
Idaho Power is seeking a new license that will be in place for as long as 50 years. House Joint Memorial 9 sought the Legislature’s support for an 8,500-cfs minimum flow provision from May 15 to Oct. 1 to be included in the new license. The memorial, written by the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association and carried by Shepherd, said doing so would support the recreation economy there and help Idahoans and others enjoy the canyon’s splendor.
“The Hells Canyon Recreation Area is one of the crown jewels of the state of Idaho,” said Shepherd, whose district includes the canyon.
He saw Idaho Power’s text message as dishonest. He said the memorial didn’t call for the company to release more water. Instead, it asked for the water to be timed in a way that supports outfitters and guides along with private boaters and fisheries downstream of the dam.
“When they said I was trying to give Oregon and Washington Idaho’s water — that was completely disingenuous,” he said. “The whole reason for this is so Idahoans can use the water.”
He notes the water is going downstream regardless. It’s a river, after all.
“All we are asking is to send it downstream when Idahoans can use it,” he said. “I just didn’t think it was that big of an ask — just enough water so rafters and jetboaters can stay in business and not go broke.”
Wild Sheep and Granite are the two biggest rapids in the canyon. They are both in its upper section deemed the most difficult stretch. When flows drop below 8,500 cfs, the two rapids become especially tricky for large jet boats.
“It’s an already challenging river for jet boats,” said Lieberman. “A lot of them won’t even mess with it below 8,500.”
Brad Bowlin, spokesperson for Idaho Power, said the company weighs several factors while producing electricity for its customers, including flood control, recreation and fisheries.
In the past, the company often released more water through its turbines on hot summer days to keep up with demand from customers looking to cool their homes and businesses.That meshed well with the needs of boaters.
Green energy
Now that solar power is cheap and abundant, there are times the company reduces hydropower generation and thereby flows during the day. When the sun goes down but temperatures and demand for electricity are still high, the company ramps up generation and pushes that saved water through its turbines. That means the higher flows from the dam come late and don’t line up with the needs of boaters.
Bowlin said it’s uncommon for flows coming into the system to remain at or above 8,500 cfs in the May to October period. A minimum flow standard could cost Idaho Power $15 million, according to the company.
“From our perspective, all Idaho water users, including Idaho Power, have an interest in maintaining Idaho sovereignty over Idaho water,” Bowlin said. “Mandating higher minimum flows, especially during peak energy periods, would result in significantly higher energy costs for our customers.”
He said the reference to the Biden administration was included because language in the memorial directed it to be sent to the president. Such direction is standard in House joint memorials, as are instructions to send them to the speaker of the House of Representatives, the president of the Senate and members of the Idaho congressional delegation. Memorials are not law. Rather they are more like expressions of the official opinion of the legislature.
“To say I am trying to give the Biden administration our water is completely ridiculous,” said Shepherd. “They are the ones buying into the Green New Deal using solar and wind in the day and water at night when Idahoans can’t use the water. My job is to look after my district and that is what I am doing. My job is not to make sure big business like Idaho Power is protected.”
Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.
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