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This Website is Dedicated to Alvin Alexander Cheyne January 10, 1921 - June 17, 2005 |
PacifiCorp
remains hurdle in controversy
Statesman
Journal Opinion
It seems
like there's only one more obstacle to the just-announced amazing
win-win solution to the long-running
Congratulations
to the farmers, tribes, environmental groups, fishing interests and
government agencies who were able, through goodwill, compromise and hard
work, to settle this corrosive dispute.
Unfortunately,
we all still face one more hurdle: PacifiCorp, which refuses to
acknowledge the facts about the costs of keeping vs. removing its old
dams on the
PacifiCorp
stubbornly maintains that it's protecting its ratepayers from higher
rates. But the utility refuses to acknowledge that adding the fish
ladders, water control and other measures that are required for
relicensing the dams will cost ratepayers -- and raise rates -- much
more than just dismantling them, an estimated $100 million more.
The
California Energy Commission in April released a definitive study which
concluded: "Decommissioning the Klamath Hydro Project and procuring
replacement power for 30 years would be less costly to PacifiCorp and
its ratepayers than relicensing the project and mitigating its
impacts."
As a
ratepayer advocate, I'm wondering what part of that statement PacifiCorp
doesn't understand? Ratepayers will benefit by this settlement, and
PacifiCorp should help make it happen instead of dragging things out
forever.
-- Steve
Weiss, Sr. Policy Associate, NW Energy Coalition,
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Source: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/