The executive director of Northwest River Partners will start a new job in December.
Kurt Miller will step down as director of the organization and slide into a similar job at the Northwest Public Power Association. The groups are based in the same building in Vancouver, Wash.
Miller has helmed Northwest River Partners for about five years. During that time he has been one of the strongest industry voices advocating for retention of the four lower Snake River dams and the benefits they provide.
Miller said NWPPA strongly supports hydropower but he doesn’t know how active it will be in the debate of the lower Snake River dams.
“I genuinely believe those dams are really important and that is not going to change because I change jobs,” he said. “We definitely have the right elements in place for River Partners to continue to be an important voice in the region.”
Northwest River Partners represents not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada and Wyoming. It is a staunch supporter of hydropower.
The Northwest Public Power Association represents more than 150 public utility districts, electric cooperatives and municipalities in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and British Columbia in Canada.
The board of directors at Northwest River Partners is forming a committee to search for a new executive director.
