When residents and businesses across Oregon and Washington flip a light switch, charge an electric vehicle, or power up a computer, few stop to consider where that electricity comes from — or whether it will be there tomorrow. Northwest state and federal policymakers, however, should be thinking about these questions every day. And the answer is increasingly clear: Meeting the growing demand for more electricity, keeping clean energy commitments, and sustaining the regional economy requires permitting and building new electricity transmission.
The energy transition in the Northwest is no longer theoretical. Lawmakers in Oregon and Washington have enacted clean electricity standards that reflect broad public support for reducing emissions. At the same time, electricity demand is surging — driven by population growth, electrification of transportation and buildings, and expanding data and industrial needs. Recent in-depth reporting in The Oregonian revealed that without major new transmission capacity, the region faces increasing risks to grid reliability, higher long-term electricity costs, and growing difficulty meeting its statutory clean energy requirements.
The Northwest is not short on clean energy resources. Wind and solar generation continue to expand east of the Cascades and across the broader Western grid. The challenge is getting that power to where people live and work when they need it most. Transmission lines are the backbone of the electric system, and today that backbone is constrained in ways that limit clean energy deployment and threaten economic growth.
One project illustrates both the challenge and the opportunity: the Cascade Renewable Transmission Project.
This transmission line, currently working its way through a rigorous permitting process, would deliver clean electricity from east of the Cascades to population centers along the I-5 corridor – enough power for about 800,000 homes. By moving power from where it is generated to where it is used, Cascade directly addresses one of Oregon’s most pressing grid bottlenecks. Its low impact design includes an innovative 12-inch diameter cable bundle safely buried at least ten feet below the Columbia River from The Dalles to Portland. Cascade doesn’t increase wildfire risks and will improve overall system resilience. Built with private investment, the project would operate for decades as part of the region’s core energy infrastructure. Once operating, as early as 2031, Cascade will complement and enable the development and improvement of other critical energy and transmission infrastructure across the region.
This ability to develop and improve energy infrastructure is crucial to businesses that are looking to invest in Oregon and Washington but currently cannot do so due to insufficient access to power. Just earlier this year a multibillion-dollar manufacturing facility opted not to build in Longview, Washington, due to a lack of electrical power available and no reassurance on what the Bonneville Power Administration request process looked like. That facility would have been transformative for the local economy, creating thousands of living-wage jobs for a region that has been economically depressed for decades and generated millions of dollars in property taxes.
Equally important, Cascade will be built by union labor, ensuring this essential infrastructure is constructed by a highly trained workforce with rigorous safety standards, local accountability, and apprenticeship programs that create lasting career pathways and prosperity for the next generation of Oregon and Washington workers.
For working people in trades, transmission projects represent more than electrons on a wire. Building modern grid infrastructure depends on electricians, line workers, operating engineers, laborers, ironworkers, and other skilled trades. These are family-wage jobs with strong safety records, registered apprenticeship pipelines, and benefits that support local families and communities. Transmission construction cannot be outsourced, and projects unfold over multiple years, providing sustained employment rather than short-term spikes.
Too often, clean energy discussions focus narrowly on generation without equal attention to the system that delivers that power. Without sufficient transmission, clean energy can be curtailed or stranded, forcing utilities to rely more heavily on fossil generation during peak demand and exposing customers to greater price volatility. Transmission is not a substitute for energy efficiency, local solar, or battery storage. The Northwest needs all of these tools. But transmission makes them all possible.
The Cascade Renewable Transmission Project shows how infrastructure investment can align climate goals with economic priorities. It will address documented grid needs, improve resilience, and support the skilled workforce required to build and maintain a modern electric system. Of course, all energy and transmission projects must be built responsibly. Local communities and Northwest tribes deserve transparency, rigorous environmental review, and meaningful engagement throughout the siting and permitting process. All things the Cascade project is doing.
The risks of delay are real. Without new transmission, the region faces tighter supply margins, higher costs, and increasing difficulty meeting clean electricity requirements. Choosing not to act with greater urgency is itself a decision — one with consequences for reliability, affordability, and economic opportunity.
If Oregon and Washington are serious about sustaining economic growth and keeping commitments for a clean energy future, they must be equally as serious about permitting the infrastructure that makes those commitments achievable. Building transmission is not just about moving power. It’s about strengthening the regional economy, supporting good union jobs, and ensuring that a clean energy transition works for working families.
Randall Friesen is secretary-treasurer of the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council. Mike Bridges is president of the Longview-Kelso Building Trades Council.
