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