Take Action
How can I help?
You’re an owner of your not-for-profit Co-op. Issues affecting the Co-op affect you, too. We encourage you to explore all the ways you can spread the word about important issues, contact your representatives, and in general be a powerful force on behalf of the cooperative that you belong to. After all, that’s how co-ops got started in the first place. Thank you for your advocacy. And as always, if you have questions or feedback, your Co-op employees are here to help.
(Don’t forget, you can learn all about these important issues on our Help Hydro page.)
Send an Advocacy Postcard
Senator Tester is the only Montana representative who has yet to come out in public support of the lower Snake River dams (LSRD). Fill out this form and we will send him a personalized postcard (see below) on your behalf to let him know you support the lower Snake River dams.
LSRD Postcard Request
Email Elected Officials
Email US Senator Jon Tester, MT Email US Senator Steve Daines, MT Email US Senator Patty Murray, WA Email US Senator Maria Cantwell, WA Email US Senator James Risch, ID Email US Senator Mike Crapo, ID Email US Senator Ron Wyden, OR Email US Senator Jeff Werkley, ORDon’t know what to write?
Here is a starting point for your email. Feel free to copy and paste the text below into your email and edit it as aligns with your own personal convictions. Thank you for taking the time to make your voice heard! Your efforts will help to keep our carbon-free power affordable and reliable.
Dear [Insert Representative’s Name Here],
I am writing in support of keeping the four lower Snake River dams (LSRD) intact.
I am a resident of Northwest Montana and a member of Flathead Electric Cooperative (FEC) in [Kalispell, Libby, Columbia Falls, etc.]. I place a high value on the affordable, reliable, and carbon-free power I (and over 56,000 other FEC members) currently receive from the hydropower system in the Northwest. Access to this power is currently being threatened in discussions about the removal of these dams.
The impact of the removal of the LSRD on Montana residents would be higher electric rates, a larger carbon footprint, and an increased risk of blackouts due to reduced ability to endure extreme climate events. With our region emerging from devastating pandemic losses and experiencing historic heat, drought, wildfires, and significant poverty levels, the breaching of the LSRD would be a disaster.
Recently, some well-known groups have suggested removing the LSRD dams to aid declining salmon populations. We love salmon as a symbol of all things wild and free, we respect their significance to Tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest, and we support re-population efforts on their behalf. However, the greatest threat to salmon comes from warming ocean conditions. Helping salmon means committing to a carbon-free future to fight changing ocean temperatures. Hydropower is the backbone of a carbon-free future, and the lower Snake River dams are a big part of that future.
I ask that you publicly support these dams and the future of hydropower, and the benefits these resources provide to your constituents across the Pacific Northwest.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Follow your Co-op and join the #StandForHydro movement online.
Tag elected officials.
Click the image below to share it on your social media and tag your elected officials. Follow us for more #StandForHydro posts and opportunities to make your voice heard!
Sign up for our mailing list
We invite you to join our Grassroots Action Team so, if needed, you can help us contact legislators who make the decisions about critical issues impacting Flathead Electric Cooperative and other electric cooperatives in our state, region and nation. By signing up today you can:
- Help utilities keep rates affordable
- Help protect our power supply in the Northwest
- Help provide us with the ability to keep you up to date on imminent issues affecting your utility and electric rates should they arise
