Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1978)
At energy hearing Public protests proposed rate hike By CATHERINE SIEGNER Of the Emerald Officials from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) heard public comment on the agency’s proposed 90 percent wholesale rate increase last night at the Eugene Hotel. Those testifying agreed on one Archivist - were. Men weren’t supposed to see the bare ankle.” Classes have changed too. This wasn’t always a liberal arts college, he says, describing the classical education our predeces sors received. "Before 1890, teachers ex pected students to memorize ex tensively. They had to recite every week, and four years of Greek and Latin were required." Another trend Richard has fol lowed is the gradual year increase in the number of University graduate students, a peak in the late 1960s, and a decline ever since. Down the aisle from the Greek textbooks are the old yeart>ooks. Richard picks up an 1902 annual titled ‘Webfoot." "Webfoot had absolutely no thing to do with a duck originally,” he says. “There’s a picture in here of a man whose feet have been turned into webfeet. It’s really rather grotesque." People west of the Rockies used to be cailed “webfoot”—people who lived off the sea, he explains So much for Donald Duck. Nevertheless, trophies from Duck teams fill one corner of the thing: they don't like BPA’s plans. A draft environmental impact statement on the new rate schedule was published in Au gust. It laid the blame for the necessary increase on costs of both the Trojan nuclear plant and the three nuclear plants BPA is essentially underwriting for the Washington Public Power Supply System (a consortium of public utilities in Washington state). The agency held a public infor mation session Sept. 12 in Eugene to explain the rate in crease, scheduled to go into effect in Dec. 1979. Last night’s hearing was to give members of the public a chance to comment for the re cord. Lane Co. Commissioner Jerry Rust, representing himself only, (Continued from Page 3) room. With ail the material cram med every inch of archive space, there doesn’t seem to be much room for more history to accumu late. “We re going to reduce it to mic rofilm, and then the vast majority of it will be recycled,’’ Richard says. Aside from running out of spaoe, fire danger is another worry of any archivist. Work is currently being done on the installation of a new fire suppression system, which uses halon gas rather than water to put out the flames. That way, in case of fire, the archival copy-and sometimes the only copy-of somebody's doctoral thesis doesn’t get soggy. This kind of fire suppression system is the only one of its kind in the state system Richard says. Everything around the room suggests historical significance, Join us in the woods. 2165 W. 11th Ave. woodside ^brewery RESTAURANT • TAVERN • DISCO BALLOT EMU Cultural Forum presents Danee ITour Bluat Away at ■lection Night Blues faa taring The Sunnyland Slim Blues Band plus Koko Taylor and her Blues Machine and The Robert Cray Band alto Election results will be read between sets X X A Concert Tuesday Nov. 7. EMU Ballroom 7:00 p.m. *4.50 U of O Student* — $5.50 General Public availabt. o' EMU Sojlroom UO Book.lor. Bock.too. Doncowoor ond TWricol Soppl... ood Ev.iybody, *KO(d, Oregon Dally Emerald even Richard’s desk. “This desk was purchased in 1894 for $45. It’d probably cost one or two thousand now," he says. He's got the receipt upstairs somewhere among six jerseys from the 1939 basketball team. They are the only jerseys that have been ‘retired,’ ” he says. The University archives are un ique. Where else could one discover that in 1908 this University’s year book was called ‘ Beaver’’? Or that leftover proceeds from the debate team used to go to the ath letic department, which had trou ble making ends meet in the early part of this century? It’s a good place to get lost in history and probably the only place on campus where you'll find Goodman’s “Greek Grammar.” said he would like to know the ex tent of the public's indebtedness in the BPA dam system on the Columbia River. “There's $5 billion invested, and after 34 years, only one seventh has been paid off,” he said. “I’m asking BPA to reveal the payback plan you envision. What is your timetable, and what will be the total interest?” he asked. “Your agency has the attitude that the region’s ratepayers will pay for whatever it can get Congress to agree to. We should know the costs of these plants before we get into them.” Cameron Hubbe said approxi mately 70 percent of the rate in crease results from guaranteeing utilities they will be paid for power from Trojan and the plants in Washington now under construc tion. “It’s been an unwise invest ment,” she said. "If you had come to the ratepayers before getting involved in these contracts, maybe you could have avoided this.” Hubbe commented utilities that have not invested in nuclear power should not have to sub sidize rates for those who have. “Nuclear power is economically disastrous. Why doesn’t BPA dis tribute the rate increase to those utilities that have invested the heaviest?” Gwen Jaspers said the Northwest’s aluminum companies should pay a rate that more reasonably reflects the cost of power. “They could use aluminum scraps. They only need five per cent of the electricity needed to produce aluminum from bauxite.” Sandy Pitler questioned BPA's public hearing process. “Why is a hearing held after you make a de cision?” he asked. “BPA is trying to limit testimony to how the rate increase should be implemented, not why, or even if, it should be implemented.” He said BPA could offer con servation as an alternative to ex pensive nuclear power. “Instead of pushing conserva tion or renewable resources, you invest our money through rates in the most inefficient form of energy there is — nuclear power,” he said. BPA will accept written com ments on the draft rate proposal until Nov. 30. All comments will be analyzed and included in the final proposal to be sent to the U.S. Dept, of Energy in early March, 1979. Comments or questions should be sent to Public Involvement Coordinator, Bonneville Power Administration, P.O. Box 12999, Portland, Ore. 97212. (This Sunday Evening Come see what we’ve got at Sizzler SUPERBURGER $2.59 f/ r Meat for dinner at the Sizzler. Our superburger is so big you may be late getting back to homework. An extra-large patty of ground beef with fresh tomato, onion, lettuce and a sesame seed bun. With crisp and delicious french fries. It’s a lunch crowd pleaser. t Suzlrr lu7 This special offer includes: 1. Super Burger 2. A visit to our salad bar 3. Beverage of your choice. Good at these locations: 68 W. 29th, just off 29th & Willamette and 62 Centennial Loop, near 1-105 entry from Coburg Rd. Bring yourself and this coupon, and you’ll be entitled to buy our Superburger Special for $2.59 Offer good Sundays after 4 p.m. through Nov. 5th Page 13
