Utility reform has 36,000 signatures
Energy petition drives now underway
By CATHERINE S1EGNER
Of the Emerald
The right of Oregonians to the
initiative and referendum process
is being fully exercised this sum
mer. Three petitions dealing with
energy are now being circulated
state-wide, with varying degrees
of success.
A constitutional amendment
that would ban nuclear power
plants and the transportation or
storage of nuclear waste in the
state of Oregon (except for exist
ing test reactors) is being pushed
by Lloyd Marbet and his organi
zation, Forelaws on Board. This
notitinn is nowhere near the target
for signatures, due to a heavy
work load and a late start.
Marbet has been in Arlington,
Oregon recently for the Pebble
Springs hearings, and has not had
time to work out an effective cam
paign for the petition.
“We get requests for petitions
daily, but I don’t really know how
many signatures we’ve got. No
body has had time to put it to
gether and figure it out,” he says.
’’There’s been a problem with frac
tionalism, or groups disagreeing
on what projects to tackle, and
that’s been a disappointment. But
I feel the time is now for this
measure, and I’m still hopeful.”
Petitions are available from
Forelaws on Board, 19142 S.
Bakers Ferry Rd., Boring, Oregon,
97009, or call 637-3549.
Oregonians for Utility Reform
(O.U.R.) is a Salem group started
by Rep. Bob Vian, D-Salem, to
sponsor a measure that would
prohibit private, investor-owned
utilities in Oregon from charging
customers for the cost of con
structing new generation facilities.
The group's petition would re
move Construction Work in Prog
ress (CWIP) charges from the rate
base. A similar measure was pas
sed in Missouri in 1976 by a 63
percent to 37 percent margin,
even though its proponents were
outspent by the utilities 40 to one.
O.U.R. has already collected
3te,000 signatures, and needs
55,000 to place the measure be
fore the voters in November.
“I think we have an excellent
chance of stopping these unfair
charges,” says David McTeague,
O.U.R. coordinator. “But we still
need help to make sure the meas
ure gets on the ballot.”
For petitions or more informa
tion, contact Oregonians for Utility
Reform, P.O. Box 12763, Salem,
Oregon, 97309, or call 378-8639
or 362-2374.
The third petition has had the
most success. It would amend ex
isting law to shorten the process
for forming public utility districts
(PUDs). The PUD petition has
been supported by the Oregon
State Grange, the Oregon
Washington Farmers' Union, the
Consumer Power League, and
other public power groups around
the state.
Proponents of the petition
argue that Oregon’s utility rates
are higher than Washington’s be
cause Oregon didn’t take advan
tage of easier PUD laws in the
1930s and establish more PUDs.
They say customers served by
private, investor-owned utilities
such as Portland General Electric
Co. or Pacific Power & Light Co.
pay as much as twice as the cus
tomers of either the Clark County
PUD in Vancouver, Wash., or the
Eugene Water & Electric Board in
Lane County, Oregon.
Currently, groups wishing to
form a PUD must circulate two pet
itions and pass two bond meas
ures in order to establish the
boundaries, set up a board of di
rectors, and purchase existing
generation and distribution
facilities.
The proposed measure would
shorten the procedure to one peti
tion and one bond measure. The
circulators of the petition have col
lected approximately 40,000 sig
natures state-wide, and need
15,000 more.
W.C. Harris, master of the
Oregon State Grange, says he is
sure the measure will get on the
ballot. “The only way to get low
cost power from the Bonneville
Power Administration is to have
more public utility districts. This
amendment would make them
easier to form,” he says.
Those interested in helping with
the PUD petition should contact
the Oregon State Grange in Port
land at 236-1118, or the People
for Public Power office in Eugene
at 485-5145.
The three petitions with the
necessary signatures must be
filed with the Secretary of State by
July 1, 1978.
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