Power bill’s rate promises
continue to be unfulfilled
Analysis
By GREG WASSON
Of ttM Emerald
SALEM — In January, Gov.
Vic Atiyeh submitted a budget
requiring $220 million in addi
tional tax revenues to balance.
Tuesday morning, small busi
ness leaders held a press con
ference condemning the
proposal.
They charge the proposal’s
cost will drive small business
out of Oregon. The National
Federation of Independent Bus
inesses said it bitterly opposes
the new taxes.
It may prove to be a long,
bloody fight.
Contrast that with the ease
with which Public Utility Com
missioner John Lobdell de
prived Oregonians of $104 mil
lion. It .took no legislative
debate, no arm twisting and no
power brokering.
Once the small business
representatives finished their
conference, Lobdell moved in
and announced his order: one
month from today, Portland
General Electric will be allowed
to raise its rates 10.8 percent,
and Pacific Power & Light will
boost its fees by 13.6 percent.
The increases are con
tingent upon the utilities agree
ing not to seek additional hikes
in 1981.
Lobdell said he doesn’t know
whether the companies will ac
cept the deal. But if they do, it
will have taken Lobdell 45 min
utes to raise $104 million over
the next nine months, while it
will take the governor and the
Legislature six months to ham
mer out a tax program that, at
the most, will raise $220 million
over two years.
As with the last Lobdell press
conference, once the rate hikes
were explained, the discussion
turned to the Northwest power
bill. Once again, the news was
bad for Oregon rate-payers.
During congressional debate,
supporters of the bill lauded it as
one answer to spiraling utility
rates. The promise was that
passage of the legislation would
result in lower rates for
Oregonians buying power from
investor-owned utilities. At
Tuesday’s press conference,
Lobdell warned the promise
may remain unfulfilled.
“I have neither the calcula
tions nor the data that I’m com
fortable contains the right kinds
of assumptions that will put me
in a position where I can say
that’s going to happen,’’ Lob
deli said.
r~
Campus Interfaith °
&
Ministry
CROSS
CURRENTS
Issues in Contemporary
Medical Ethics
NORM METZLER and
ALICE’ KINBERG.
KOINONIA CENTER.
Four sessions beginning
Thursday, April 9.
Thursday, noon-1 p.m.
1414 Kincaid
* These classes are free and open to all
*For more information, or to register
for classes, call 484-1707 or
686-3597
y
Translation: Oregon con
sumers may be forced to help
pay for nuclear plants in Wa
shington while denied the rate
relief they were promised.
In January, Lobdell revealed
another pledge possibly was
being broken.
Oregonians were assured the
fees collected from industries,
mostly aluminum plants, con
tracting directly with the Bon
neville Power Administration
would increase enough to help
keep residential rates down.
That may not be happening,
Lobdell warned. He relayed
rumors that the industries had
convinced the BPA not to raise
the rates as much as the public
had been assured.
“The direct service industries
have brought all of their legal
talent, lobbying talent and other
sources of influence out of the
woodwork," Lobdell said. "Dur
Emerald Graphic
1_1
ing the void in the leadership of
Bonneville, they may be overly
influencing the staff.”
In an April 1 press release, a
PUC official acknowledged the
rumors are now fact.
"The rate formula favors the
direct-service industrial cus
tomers and large preference
customers of Bonneville,” said
Evan White, administrator of the
PUC’s financial analysis divi
sion, "and discriminates against
lOUs’ (investor-owned utilities’)
customers, such as those of
PP&L and PGE."
The increases don't reflect
the costs of the Washington nu
clear plants that the federal act
allows the BPA to buy.
It’s almost a given that
Oregon consumers will help fin
ance the first three Washington
nuclear plants, but whether
Bonneville will buy the fourth
and fifth plants still is uncertain.
r
If you went to high school at:
Aloha
Ashland
Banks
Beaverton
Central
Central Linn
Clackamas
Columbia
Cottage Grove
Crater
Crescent Valley
Eagle Point
Gladstone
Gresham
Hillsboro
Klamath Union
LaSalle
Lebanon Union
Madison
Madras
Marist
Marshfield
Mazama
McMinnville
McNary
Medford
Newberg
North Eugene
North Salem
Oregon City
Philomath
Pleasant Hill
Reynolds
Rex Putnam
Roseburg
Sam Barlow
Scio
Seaside
Silverton Union
South Albany
South Salem
South Umpqua
Sprague
Springfield
St. Helens
Sunset
Sweet Home
Thurston
Tigard
Tillamook
West Linn
Willamette
Willamina
Wilson
Stop by and visit with your previous high school
counselor who will be available in the EMU Ballroom
at 1:30 p.m., April 8. They would like to talk with you
about your experience entering the U of O. The
information they get from you will enable them to
better prepare high school students for college.
The UofO Admissions Office
\_J
HAIRCUTTING TO
$8
00
2001
Franklin Blvd.
686-2544
15%
Student
Discount
on phorofinishing
and all merchandise
nor already discounted.
^dots<
otson's
WE COMPLETE THE PICTURE
1668 Willamette • 430 East 11 rh • Volley River Center • Bend
THEY’LL
DO
AS
MUCH
FOR
YOUR
GARDEN
AS
RAIN
i
■
IW
ao
*-M9VS
UMtoo&a
VKpftp«fc
Jw:»4
WMkoM
4
Sunset Introduction to Basic Gardening
is the ultimate "how to" book. The one
book that explains all the gardening
techniques you want to know. only $5.95
Sunset New Western Garden Book is
"The Authority" on Western gardening,
a Western plant encyclopedia with 1200
plant identification drawings. only $11.95
BOOKSTORE
13th & Kincaid
Mon-Fri 8:15-5:30
Sat 10:00-2:00
Textbooks 686-3520 • General Books 686-3510 •
Supplies 686-4331