Northwest Energy and Conservation Groups React to Appointment of New Administrator for the Bonneville Power Administration

Seattle, WA —

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced Travis Kavulla will be the next administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). 

BPA is currently in the process of leaving the Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) and proposes to join a new day-ahead energy market called Markets+. BPA’s choice of Markets+ has brought concern and opposition from diverse parties who would be affected, including the states of Washington and Oregon, tribes, major utilities, consumer advocates and conservation groups. 

Below, please find statements from five Pacific Northwest organizations regarding Kavulla’s selection as BPA’s administrator. 

Following are statements from the groups:

“We encourage Administrator Kavulla to pause BPA’s process to leave the successful Western Energy Imbalance Market and join the small, disjointed Markets+ scheme operated by the Arkansas-based Southwest Power Pool. BPA’s own analysis shows leaving the WEIM and joining Markets+ could cause energy users billions in excess electricity costs,” said Ben Otto, Senior Policy Associate, Northwest Energy Coalition. “Modern energy markets are an essential tool to increase reliability and ensure energy affordability. BPA has ample time to reconsider its current choice, remain in the WEIM, and then decide to join the large, diverse Extended Day Ahead Market that will be governed by an independent body of western energy experts with input from states and market stakeholders and participants.”

“We are hopeful that Administrator Kavulla will help BPA be a strong partner in developing the most efficient and affordable market trading system possible in the West,” said Anne Hedges, Executive Director, Montana Environmental Information Center. “With rapidly escalating power bills, it is critical that BPA focus on how to provide an affordable and reliable energy system. That requires BPA to rethink how to ensure we have a transparent and robust single west-wide market.”

“We welcome Travis Kavulla as the new BPA Administrator,” said Robin Everett, Deputy Director, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign. “BPA needs fresh forward-looking leadership.  Our Northwest energy system is facing challenges and opportunities, and BPA needs to provide leadership to assure affordable, reliable energy and address the important environmental, salmon responsibilities that are an integral part of our hydro system. Making prudent investments to assure the region’s ability to integrate new low-cost renewable energy resources along with reassessing the decision of which regional energy market to join are urgent needs.  Mr. Kavulla’s history at evaluating cost-effective actions as a regulator and work with the Western Energy Imbalance Market provide a strong background for this position.  We hope he will bring that experience and perspective to the BPA Administrator role and guide the agency to making better decisions that will benefit the agency and the region.”

“Administrator Kavulla will undoubtedly have a full agenda, but reconsidering Bonneville’s decision to join Markets+ should be among his highest priorities,” said Brad Smith, Interim Executive Director, Idaho Conservation League. “Joining a power market headquartered in Arkansas is expected to increase costs for Northwest ratepayers at a time when affordability remains a major concern for families and businesses across the region.”

“Leadership from BPA is critical to the region,” said Bob Jenks, Executive Director, Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board (CUB). “BPA should be supporting a wholesale market structure that provides broad benefits for everyone living here. We hope the new Administrator will support expansion of the transmission network that is fundamental to grid reliability.”

Background

Regional energy markets allow utilities and energy authorities like BPA to buy and sell electricity across a wider area, which can help lower costs for consumers, provide more access to renewable energy sources and ensure a stable and reliable energy supply. Choosing an energy market is a big decision for any utility — and for a large power marketing agency like BPA, the effects of choosing the wrong energy market can cascade through dozens of utilities and across multiple states.

With energy markets, larger markets like the western-based Extended Day Ahead Market provide more access to diverse energy sources across a broad region at the lowest prices during critical hours and challenging weather conditions.

In a May 2025 letter to BPA the four U.S. Senators from Washington and Oregon wrote, “This decision [about which day-ahead market to join] will likely have profound and lasting impacts on the reliability, affordability, and greenhouse gas emissions of electricity used throughout the Pacific Northwest… Between increasing energy demand, increasing strain on ratepayers, and significant resource adequacy constraints in the Northwest, it is paramount that BPA continue to operate according to sound business principles, as required by statute. That includes ensuring there is the opportunity to consider the full range of market structure options before making a long-term commitment on electricity markets.”