Political figures should prod effort to settle rate issue for power users

August 6, 2007

Klamath Falls Herald and News Editorial

The lack of progress on re-establishing a rate break for the customers of private power utilities such as PacifiCorp is disappointing.

Those involved in the situation met last week in Portland and apparently did little but argue about how best to share the benefits of hydroelectric power marketed by Bonneville Power Administration. The power is cheap and comes from dams on the Columbia River system and, until recently, was divided among all power consumers in the Northwest, including those served by private power.

A federal appeals court decision took that away from private power customers. That resulted in immediate increases since PacifiCorp, which serves the Klamath Falls area, could no longer “trade” its more expensive power for the low-cost hydro power.

That’s manifestly unfair since the power production resource; falling water; is a public resource and the public in general should benefit, not just those served by public power.

About 200 representatives of various interest groups met, debated, but didn’t get very far at last week’s meeting.

“The consensus is ‘go faster,’ ” said Bonneville Administrator Steve Wright. “The message we’re giving them is, ‘We can go faster if you’d all agree.’ ”

If things don’t move faster, rate relief might be more than a year away, according to the BPA.

Perhaps what the issue needs is some serious jawboning by Northwest political leaders; governors and congressmen. Surely they can come up with some ways to prod things along. Consumers shouldn’t have to wait that long for the rate break they have coming.

Competitive races help bring out the real issues 

Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley’s decision to seek the U.S. Senate seat held by U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., increases the chance for a competitive race, and competitive races bring out issues.

Merkley, a Democrat who was born in Myrtle Creek and later lived in Roseburg and Portland , is given much of the credit for the resurgence of Democrats in the Legislature. They took control of both houses.

There is another Democratic candidate, Steve Novick, a lawyer, with a background that includes being the lead counsel for the U.S. Justice Department in the Love Canal case, according to his Web site. His record is one of environmental activism and he probably shouldn’t be counted out of the Democratic primary in the 2008 election. 

Smith, the only Republican senator on the West Coast, is felt to be vulnerable, especially over the war in Iraq . Of late, Smith has criticized it and the administration, but has been criticized in turn by Democrats for not speaking out sooner.

Smith was a state legislator from Pendleton and ran his family’s frozen food processing business before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996. 

Certainly the war deserves a front place position among issues, but there are others.

One of particular local interest, is water, and Smith has been sympathetic to the Basin’s chronic problems.  

By the time the election comes up, a framework for Klamath River allocations may exist. While not much is known about current discussions among those who depend on the river on how water should be allocated, undoubtedly the federal government will be asked to play a key role. There’s also the effort to convert Long Lake into deep water storage and the studies being conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation. Both issues should be ripe for comment from the candidates.

Kingsley Field and its mission is another local issue.  

But local folks are just like other Oregonians. They care about the war, immigration, health care, the war on terror and more. When the campaigns and the debates begin, they’ll be ready to listen and decide.

Pat Bushey wrote today’s editorial.

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