OSL backs move barring
housing denial to students
SALEM — A bill that prohibits discrimination against students in
housing has been introduced at the request of the Oregon Student
Lobby (OSL).
SB-697 prohibits real estate brokers and landlords from dis
criminating against students in the selling, leasing and renting of hous
ing.
OSL President Kirby Garrett said Thursday that since Oregon state
law prohibits housing discrimination based on sex and race, "we felt that
students shouldn't be a class that is discriminated against.”
There is a lot of discrimination against students in housing now,"
said Garrett. "Landlords can advertise that they won't accept students.
It's an unfair practice that needs to be changed
The bill will probably be referred to a committee next week
Legislative
Issues
Utilities fight Straub’s power allotment plan
By MIKE McLAIN
Of the Emerald
SALEM — Oregon's public
utilities, faced with a 30 per cent
rate increase, came out in force to
oppose Gov Bob Straubs
Domestic and Rural Power Au
thority (DRPA) Wednesday night
Representatives from a number
of public utilities, and even
spokesmen from the state s pri
vate utilities attacked the proposal
as being detrimental to regional
negotiations for a new energy pol
icy.
They told the Senate Environ
ment and Energy Committee that
a new regional policy would ne
gate the need for DRPA and that
they expected a concrete regional
proposal by April 1 But Roy
Hemmmgway, Straubs natural
resource aide who developed the
DRPA proposal, said he doubted
very much whether that would
happen and urged the committee
to pass the proposal
The DRPA proposal would
create a state public agency that
would provide, under the Bon
neville Power Administration
(BPA) preference clause, access
to cheap hydro-power for 80 per
cent of the state s residents
served by private utilities Those
customers are presently strapped
with high energy bills for expen
sive thermal energy.
All witnesses agreed that a new
regional policy would end the
price disparity that caused Straub
to propose the DRPA But debate
arose over whether agreement on
the policy could be reached in time
for necessary congressional ac
tion The regional negotiations
were also attacked by committee
members for being held in secret.
Doug Ryder, a representative of
Corporate farming watchdog bill
passed to governor for approval
SALEM — The House passed the corporate farming registration
bill (SB-13) on to the governor's desk for signature Thursday.
The bill is an outgrowth of an unsuccessful attempt to outlaw
corporate farming m the 1975 legislative session At that time, it was
determined that there was insufficient data to conclusively support the
fear that large national or multinational corporate farms were forcing the
small family farmers out of business.
One of the problems encountered was that almost all Oregon
farms, even small family farms, are incorporated in order to take advan
tage of corporate tax exemptions
The new registration bill will provide the state with the necessary
data to determine the extent that large corporations affect Oregon
agriculture
The bill requires that all profit and non-profit corporations engaged
in farming activities file an additional statement with their annual report
to the State Corporation Commissioner The statement would list the
name and address of the corporate director and owners with 10 per cent
or more voting shares. The corporation must also name each Oregon
county, states other than Oregon and countries other than the United
States in which they own or lease more than 40 acres of farmland.
The law will go into effect Jan. 1, 1978 and will expire on July 1,
1981. Proponents of the bill said the two and a half year period would be
sufficient to determine Oregon's corporate farming picture.
FASHION WHIRL 77
if Fashions-On
Parade
Featuring Model, ROBIN APRIL
ROBINSON THEATRE
University Campus
Sunday Mar. 6. 1977
Matinee 3:00-5:00 P M
Evening 7:00-9:00 P M
Admission Adults ‘1 50
Children 75 under 12
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT DOOR
Portland General Electric (PGE),
whose customers would enjoy
substantial rate reductions under
DRPA, said he was "in full support
of efforts to obtain low cost elec
tricity for PGE customers," but
would rather see it obtained
through regional negotiations
He said those negotiations are
proceeding full speed with a target
date of April 1
The regional plan is based on
three major concepts, he told the
committee. The first two, a
method to reduce the price dispar
ity between public and private
utilities and a method to assure
timely construction of new
generating facilities, have been
hammered out to the satisfaction
of the negotiating parties, he said.
But the third, a method of imple
menting a regional energy con
servation program, "is not yet all
put together."
A change in the federal statute
concerning BPA would be neces
sary to implement the three con
cepts, and Hyder assured the
committee there would be a fed
eral proposal ready by April 15,
the cutoff date for new federal
legislation.
But Hemmingway, who recently
became a party to the negotia
tions, said, "Agreement is not
close; there's a great distance to
go yet and I doubt very much that
agreement can be reached by
April 15.”
pederal legislation would have
to pass through committees in
both houses and be up for a vote
in ten weeks, he said, which he
described as nearly impossible.
“We are not idedogicaly com
mitted to DRPA," Hemmingway
said. ‘‘We've said since the first
that if a regional proposal comes
through, we wouldn’t try to imple
ment it. But if we don’t pass it be
fore the end of the session, we
may lose it as a bargaining tool for
the next two years.’
Several public utility represen
tatives had testified that other,
more important factors than
DRPA, such as future energy
shortages, provide the motivation
necessary to reach regional ag
reement.
But Hemmingway pointed out
that the negotiations began only
after the DRPA proposal was re
leased last April.
Both Sen. Ed Fadeley,
D-Eugene, and Sen. George
Wingard, R-Eugene, question the
propriety of the negotiations which
have been closed to the public.
Robert Harrington of Pacific
Power and Light, said "It was not
intentional to shut out the public.
At the outset we just wanted to sit
down and explore a regional plan
to see if it would fly. Both agencies
(public and private utilities) have
been operating in good faith. ”
He said as the plan jelled, they
have invited more and more input
from public groups, including en
vironmental organizations. Hem
mingway now represents Oregon,
but Harrington said the other
states served by BPA have not yet
joined.
Fadeley questioned whether a
regional proposal could be de
veloped within six weeks with
adequate public input. “It seems
to me that no one is going to say
what’s going on until it happens, ’
he said.
Hemmingway agreed and said,
“The future is very much in
doubt."
“I don't want to imply," he added,
that because we (Oregon) are
taking part, that we agree with the
way the negotiations are being
carried out.”
“There is consensus among
everyone taking part,” he said,
“that we must reach total agree
ment if it's going to have the back
ing to go through Congress in
time.”
Since he didn’t think that would
happen, Hemmingway urged the
committee to adopt DRPA and
keep the pressure on.
The committee hasn't yet
scheduled a work session where
the fate of the proposal would be
determined.
Sun Shop
860 E. 13th
Jethro
a Tull
^ Songs from the Wood
i r Plus the entire Tull catalog
/l^JxT $3"
Good Thru Day of Concert
1. '.‘n
•• - 'i-1-*'
Think Sn-odc