Bipartisan legislation introduced on Nov. 26 by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) would provide compensation flexibility to address retention and hiring issues at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
“Ensuring reliable and affordable energy for our communities requires a strong and capable workforce at the Bonneville Power Administration,” said Rep. Newhouse.
Congress designated the BPA as the marketing agent for power from all of the federally owned hydroelectric projects in the Pacific Northwest. The BPA is one of four regional federal power marketing agencies within the U.S. Department of Energy, and it delivers reliable, affordable, and carbon-free hydropower to communities across the Northwest.
Rep. Newhouse cosponsored the Reliability to Ratepayers Act, H.R. 10260, alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) to address hiring and retention issues at the BPA.
If enacted, H.R. 10260 would direct the BPA to develop a comprehensive compensation plan for all employees by allowing the administrator to review and update compensation plans without regard to civil service laws, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“This bill provides BPA with the flexibility to offer competitive compensation, address hiring and retention challenges, and tackle the backlog of critical projects that impact families and businesses across the Pacific Northwest,” said Rep. Newhouse. “By updating BPA’s compensation structure to match industry standards, we can ensure the agency is well-positioned to deliver the reliability ratepayers deserve while strengthening our region’s energy future.”
The Public Power Council and Renewable Northwest have endorsed the measure, which has been referred to the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee for consideration.
“To continue to recruit and retain folks in essential public energy jobs, we’ve got to honor their hard work through appropriate compensation,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “By introducing the Reliability for Ratepayers Act with Congressman Newhouse, we’ll be able to address the critical workforce shortages in our federal power system and begin addressing long-overdue projects that can help keep rates down for southwest Washington families.”