Revealing the Invisible Price Tag

The Capital Press had a great editorial yesterday, Reveal the Invisible Price Tag.  They call for the government to “put a price tag on the cost of everything the Endangered Species Act requires of utilities, irrigation districts, farmers, ranchers and local, state and federal governments.  It would be an astronomical figure.” 

They also note that “Reps. Doc Hastings and Cathy McMorris Rodgers have proposed a variation on that theme. The Washington state Republicans have offered a bill that would tell Pacific Northwest electricity customers how much they pay toward ESA requirements. The Bonneville Power Administration, which operates most of the dams along the Columbia River, is the federal agency with the highest ESA compliance costs in the nation, according to McMorris Rodgers. BPA estimates that it spends about $500 million annually on the ESA. That is paid by consumers in the form of higher power bills.”

That’s correct.  Last month, we introduced The Endangered Species Compliance and Transparency Act because we believe it will lead to better decision-making on hydropower and more hydropower jobs.