04.10.25

Cantwell Presses Energy Under Secretary Nominee on BPA Staff Cuts

Bonneville Power Administration owns and operates about 80% of PacNW power lines; workforce reductions by Trump admin have eliminated hundreds of employees, including many powerline workers; Cantwell: “Do you believe the BPA workforce should be exempt from the current hiring freeze and future force reductions?”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, questioned Preston Wells Griffith III – President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as Under Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE) – on the administration’s plans to cut additional staff at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), even though BPA is funded by ratepayers not federal taxpayers.

“I'm a big supporter of BPA and what it delivers in cost-based power. I think we need to give BPA more support, not less. They have committed to $5 billion in grid upgrades using borrowing authority this Committee approved as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure [Law]. I want to submit […] an article for the record written by former two former BPA leaders, Randy Hardy and Steve Wright, and I want to quote. They say, ‘we can say with confidence the level of risk now with the existing workforce reductions is unacceptably high, and at some point further reductions would make outages practically inevitable.’

“So, that concerns me when two former BPA Administrators make those kind of statements. I appreciate that DOGE has already allowed the BPA to rehire some of those probationary employees, but I want to ask you, do you believe the BPA workforce should be exempt from the current hiring freeze and future force reductions?” Sen. Cantwell asked during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Griffith responded: “I obviously haven't been confirmed, and don't know -- I've read similar reports, and I don't think I saw that one that you submitted for the record, but should I be confirmed, I look forward to getting up to speed and prioritizing it. I worked in the last Trump Administration, the first one, and understand the important role that BPA and the Power Marketing Administrations, other PMAs, have in delivering affordable, reliable energy from our hydroelectric resources. And I'm committed to working with you and your office, this Committee, to do that should I be confirmed.”

Sen. Cantwell: “Do you commit to articulate BPA’s safety and reliability role when considering any RIF [Reduction in Force] proposals?”

Griffith: “Senator, again, I don't know exactly what is happening in the Department or any discussions, but I will prioritize working with the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, and the rest of the team on this issue, if confirmed to—"

Sen. Cantwell: “I'm just asking you whether you will raise safety and reliability roles. That's a pretty easy –“

Griffith: “Oh, safety and reliability are obviously very important to the grid, BPA, and all of the utilities and PMAs, and I think we'll continue to prioritize the reliability, the security, and the resilience of our grid, including at the PMAs.”

A video of her Q&A with Griffith can be watched HERE; audio is HERE; and a transcript is HERE.

Sen. Cantwell has slammed the Trump Administration’s mass firings and hiring freezes as overbroad, dangerous to the public, precarious for our lands, and at times illegal.

Last week, during another hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sen. Cantwell also pressed James Danly and Katharine MacGregor – President Trump’s nominees to serve as DOE Deputy Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior – on their commitments to not sell off public assets owned by Bonneville Power Administration after DOGE recently ordered the sale of the BPA Portland building. Video of that exchange is HERE.

In July 2021, Sen. Cantwell authored and fought for passage of a bipartisan amendment that eventually resulted in a $10 billion increase in BPA’s borrowing authority being included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The measure allowed BPA to continue to borrow at low-interest rates at no ultimate cost to the taxpayer, so that Bonneville could move forward with the vital projects announced today. Sen. Cantwell’s amendment also linked expanded borrowing authority to new financial oversight requirements and opportunities for increased stakeholder engagement.

Without Sen. Cantwell’s efforts, the borrowing authority would likely not have been established, industry insiders said at the time.

In July 2023, BPA announced it would move forward with more than $2 billion worth of electricity grid improvement projects that will significantly increase the capacity and reliability of the Pacific Northwest grid and its ability to integrate new energy sources. In October 2024, BPA announced an additional $3 billion in grid updates.

Bonneville’s generating and transmission portfolio consists primarily of emissions-free sources and is the backbone of an electricity system that is relied on by tens of millions of people throughout the Western United States. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the Pacific Northwest will need to add 56% more transmission capacity by 2040. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council calculates the region will need 3,500 megawatts of new renewable generation by 2027 and 14,000 additional megawatts by 2040. Sen. Cantwell has been a longtime champion of BPA and the cost-based power it helps provide the Pacific Northwest, and has successfully fended off multiple efforts to privatize BPA or increase regional electricity rates.  

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