I’m writing to address claims in a recent op-ed about a lawsuit filed by Portland General Electric (“PGE should drop effort to condemn land near Willamette Falls,” June 15). For over 130 years, PGE has operated a hydropower plant and dam spanning Willamette Falls. Federal regulators license all of our hydro projects, establishing boundaries around them, including upstream and downstream areas. Regulators impose rules and laws to those boundaries, including fish passage and public safety. Safety is PGE’s top priority, especially at Willamette Falls, one of the most powerful waterfalls in the U.S., where rapidly changing water conditions can jeopardize people’s lives.
