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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1982)
Emerald graphic Utility rejects plan, but lawsuit persists Bx SALLY HODGKINSON OtttwEnwraM Although the Springfield Utility Board has rejected the mothball plan for two Wa shington nuclear plants, a suit challenging the utility's involvement in the Washing ton Public Power Supply System still is active, the plaintiffs said Thursday In addition to rejecting the mothball contract offered by the WPPSS, the utility board also hired an attorney to fight the suit at its Wednesday night meeting The plaintiffs — three SUB ratepayers — charged that the board overstepped its authority when it signed the original WPPSS contract without voter approval and that the contract — and its financial burdens — is not valid “Springfield ratepayers should not have to bear the cost of a contract that is il legal," said plantiff Leslie Ratley, a University jour nalism student and a member of the SUB budget committee. "If they (board members) fight us, the only people who lose are the ratepayers ” Five years ago, the SUB signed an open-ended con tract with WPPSS that gives the utility a 1.47 percent share of the construction of two nuclear power plants The utility is bound to its share of the project cost even if the plants are never completed “Who in their right mind would sign a contract like that?” said plaintiff Peter DeFazio. an aide to Con gressman Jim Weaver DeFazio said the contract was "totally unnecessary,” and WPPSS officials proba bly pressured the SUB into signing it Construction on the plants halted last summer when fi nancing fell through To save the project, WPPSS officials offered a mothballing plan to the 88 Northwest utilites that own shares in the plants So far, several utilities, with a com bined share of about 20 per cent, have refused to pay mothballing costs A deci sion on the fate of project — nicknamed ' Whoops" — is expected within two weeks “I don’t think our suit will bring the project down It's falling with its own weight," Ratley said "I think WPPSS is down the drain " The Springfield utility’s rejection of the mothball plan is a step in the right direc tion” that logically should lead to rejection of the original contract, Ratley said "We re not trying to get out of a debt," said DeFazio "We never incurred a debt The utility's 1 47 percent share translates into a $40 million headache, he added "I can't imagine why SUB wants to defend a bankrupt plan" by fighting the suit against the original contract, DeFazio said The SUB has 30 days to formally reply to the suit, which was filed in December Beer, wine tax proposal draws legislators’ fire SALEM (AP) - Gov Vic Atiyeh's proposal to double state taxes on beer and wine came under fire today as House and Senate revenue commit tees opened hearings on Atiyeh's revenue-raising plans Sen John Powell, D-Halsey, chairman of the Senate panel, said the tax boosts "will literally do nothing to solve our prob lem ” He said the $3.6 million raised for the state general fund "won’t cover the bottom of the barrel" in dealing with a projected budget deficit of $237 million Jon Yunker, head of the state Budget and Management Divi sion, noted that the governor's plan also would earmark an ad ditional amount of tax revenue, about $4 million, for the state's share of costs of drug and al cohol treatment programs Cities and counties would get the remaining $5,4 million es timated to be raised by the tax hikes The proposed increases would amount to about four cents on a six-pack of beer and 65 cents per gallon of wine Kulongoski eyes top post SALEM (AP) - Sen. Ted Kulongoski, D-Junction City, said Thursday he will not seek re-election to the Oregon Legislature but is looking ser iously at a race for governor Kulongoski said he will make up his mind about the gover nor’s race either before the Jan 18 legislative special session or right after “I have ruled out running for the Senate again," said Kulon goski, who began his state Sen ate term in 1979 after serving in the House from 1975-1979 He made a bid for the U S Senate in 1980 but lost to in cumbent Republican Bob Packwood "I think there's a very good probability that I will run for governor," the 41-year-old at torney told the Associated Press He said he thought he could have been chosen Senate pres ident if he had sought re-elec tion to the Legislature "But in a citizen legislature, the legislators are in the back seat of the car, and the governor drives it I want to drive,'' Kulongoski said "The only way Oregon government functions effective ly is with strong leadership from the governor’s office,” he said "The state hasn't had a strong chief executive since Tom McCall I think the state has been in neutral under the Atiyeh administration the last four years " Republican Gov Vic Atiyeh already has filed for re-election Multnomah County Executive Don Clark and Lane County Commissioner Jerry Rust are running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination Kulongoski said he has been contacted by the Democratic National Committee about the gubernatorial race and has been receiving letters from Tad Kulongoskl Democrats around the state urging him to run He said the letters appeared part of an or chestrated eflort, but he did not know who was behind it Kulongoski said he is attract ed to the governor's race by the opportunity to do something tor the state's ailing economy "I would suggest that Oregon is going to have a tremendous opportunity with the advent of the new federalism of the Reagan Administration," said Kulongoski "He is transferring substantial decision making power back to the states He said he believes Oregon can use those new opportuni ties to move the state out of the recession and to "put us in a position the later part of this decade to take us off the cy clical economy " Kulongoski had said he was hesitant about running for governor if he was going to be as heavily outspent as he was in his race against Packwood "I've decided that regardless of the amount of money spent, if I have the ability to lead, no matter how much money Vic Atiyeh has. I'll win," he said Computer course offered By MARIAN GREEN Of tt» Emerald Students frustrated by the University's overcrowded com puter classes may find solace in the "hands on courses offered by Radio Shack in Eugene And just two weeks ago. Radio Shack received accredi tation from Oregon State University s community educa tion division, says instructor Jerry Ross, a University graduate student in computer education Students who complete the three-part introductory se quence can earn two hours of vocational education credit That credit can be transferred to the University, Ross says Students desiring credit, however, must pay OSU $40 in addition to the $99 85 fee for the complete course sequence, which is approximately 36 hours of experience, he says Ross says the price is right when students consider the ad vantages of Radio Shack s small classes The classes have a ratio of about 20 students to 13 computer terminals, he says Students spend the bulk of the course time behind the ter minals, Ross says ‘"It's really a hands on experience " Steve Hedetniemi, head of the University's computer and in formation science department, Emerald photo Students in the "hands on" computer course offered by Radio Shack spend the bulk of the course time behind the terminals is less optimistic about the sequence's value Hedetniemi says the CIS department considered giving credits for the Radio Shack courses but declined because the courses lacked clear objec tives "It didn't look too solid," he says Hedetneimi notes that one reason Radio Shack may offer the courses is to promote their products Ross says the sequence, de signed by Michigan State University Prof Norman Bell, is ideal for complementing the more theoretical college courses because it is "prac tically oriented," "It almost amounts to a tutor ial," he says "If someone is lost or is looking for a one-to-one situation, they can find it here " The next sequence begins Jan 21 For more information, call 687-0082
