Fuel cost
continued from page 1
natural gas.
“If you drive up demand, and
supply hasn’t increased, prices are
going to go up,” Schwartz said. “Gas
companies expect it will take two
years before increased supply may
Gas companies expect
it will take two years be
fore increased supply may
lead to decreased prices.
... Wholesale prices [of
natural gas] have doubled
since the beginning of the
year. We're trying to
make customers under
stand we're not making
money off of the gas on
raising the prices.
Steve Sechrist
spokesman
Northwest Natural Gas t t
lead to decreased prices.”
A strong economy is also a factor
in the increased prices. Anytime
there is an economic boom, there is
an increase in energy use as more
businesses expand and houses are
built, Schwartz said. Without an in
crease in the supply of natural gas,
which has been flat for the last few
years, the price increase could last
as long as two years before prices be
gin to decline.
Fortunately for most Eugene resi
dents, the price hikes will only af
fect Oregonians who receive fuel
from Northwest Natural Gas. North
west Natural Gas—Oregon’s largest
natural gas utility company, supply
ing 80 percent of the state — in
creased prices by 24 percent for the
470,000 accounts it serves. Gas bills
will increase by about $60 per year
for each account, Northwest Natural
Gas spokesman Steve Sechrist said.
Eugene Water and Electric Board,
a publicly owned utility, will not be
increasing its rates.
EWEB will keep costs down by
using wind power and hydroelec
tric power from the Bonneville
Dam, which has its rates fixed
through October 2001, said John
Mitchell, EWEB’s public relations
director.
“We implemented all rate in
creases in April of 2000 — the first
increase since 1993 — and will not
have a rate increase during 2001,”
Mitchell said. “It may affect the
[price of the] small amount of
power we buy on the open market,
but EWEB will absorb that cost and
not pass it on to customers. ”
Traditionally, utility companies
such as Northwest Natural Gas
make their incomes in service
charges for transporting gas, hook
ing up gas in new houses and busi
nesses and other services, Sechrist
said. Last month’s price hike will be
Reasons for increase in
natural gas prices:
1. Construction of a new
pipeline that carries gas from
Canada [one of Oregon’s
primary sources] to the
Midwest.
2. As the economy booms,
business expansion and new
residential construction have
resulted in a higher use of
natural gas and electric
resources.
3. Supply has been flat for
the last few years and increased
use is driving prices up.
Percentage price increases of
natural energy resources:
Natural Gas: 21 percent
increase
Heating Oil: 40 percent
increase
Electricity: Little or no
change because most publicly
owned utilities use hydroelec
tric power or other sources that
are not expecting rate increases.
Source: Conservation Resource
division of the Oregon Office of
Energy
passed on to the customers of utility
companies, he said, but the compa
nies will not be making any profit
from the increase.
“'Wholesale prices [of natural gas]
have doubled since the beginning of
the year,” Sechrist said. “We’re try
ing to make customers understand
we’re not making money off of the
gas on raising the prices. ”
Gas prices
continued from page 1
prices are even higher because of
limited resources, said Oregon Pe
troleum Marketers Association Ex
ecutive Director Steve O’Toole.
“The whole West Coast has
higher prices because the Gulf
states have more access to oil im
ports,” he said.
Most of Oregon’s crude oil
comes from Alaska and is
processed in refineries in Seattle,
then sent down pipelines. One
pipeline runs through Washington
and one runs through Oregon. Ore
gon’s line, the Kinder Morgan
Line, starts by Vancouver and ends
in Eugene.
There are no refineries in Ore
gon, only storage terminals, mak
ing the state dependent on the
Seattle refineries, O’Toole said.
“If there were more refineries,
the production of oil would rise
and the cost would go down,” O’
Toole said. “There won’t be any
more refineries built, however, due
to environmental concerns.”
Depending on the four Seattle
refineries can cause problems, O’
Toole said.
“Our prices are affected if the re
fineries have problems,” O’Toole
said. “Our market is so vulnerable,
anything that affects production
can change the price [of oil].”
Oregon also has to transport gas
south, Bournazian said.
With the pipeline stopping in
Eugene,Southern Oregon has to get
their oil trucked in from either the
northern part of the state or from
the San Francisco refineries,”
Bournazian said. “Getting the gas
down there is going to cost more.”
The conflict in the Middle East
is also affecting prices, said Elliott
Eki, AAA Oregon public affairs
manager.
“Everything depends on what’s
happening in the Middle East,” Eki
said. “A truce in the Middle East is
a positive sign for prices, but from
what the media has been showing
us, it doesn’t look like that’s going
to happen any time soon.”
With the recent bombing of the
U.S.S. Cole, concern throughout
the oil industry increased along
with prices.
“Conflicts can interfere with the
flow of crude oil,” O’Toole said.
“Oil went up to about S40 a gallon
after the Cole was bombed.”
Prices did eventually go back
down, but a similar incident in the
future could have the same effect,
O’Toole said.
Despite Oregon’s lack of produc
tion, a gradual decrease in price is
still foreseeable, as long as there is
an adequate increase in oil stocks,
Bournazian said.
VISUAL MUSK
Check out some of your favorite artists
performing live on TV. Do it. Now.
Where
Late Show with David letterman
Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Show w/ David Letterman
Late Late Show w/ Craig Kilborn
Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno
Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno
Late Night w/ Conan O'Brien
Late Night w/ Conan O'Brien
Madonna
Dwight Yoakam Nov
Squirrel Nut Zippers Nov
Moby Nov
The Wallflowers
Hootie & the Blowfish Nov
Badly Drawn Boy
COME DOWN TO
CHEZ RAY’S
Thursday night
to enjoy some
LIVE MUSIC
SEE IBELOW jFOR \V i P jl NFO
44W 10th Street • (541) 344-1530
— Novembet 7 2000
NEW RELPASP*
Filthy Thievin Bastards
Our Fathers Sent Us
Faraquet
The View From This Tower
Hammerfal!
Renegade
Keb' Mo'
The Door
Mucho Macho
Death on Wild Onion Drive
R Kelly
TP2.com
Killing Flame
Another Breath
Lungfish
Necrophones
Propaghandi
Today's Empires
Tomorrow's A shes
Spice Girls
Forever
Supa DJ Dimitry
Scream Of Consciousness
'Release dates are subject to change
liiM?
Robbie Williams
Sing When You're Winning. Capitol Records, by Steve Lichtenstein
Brash. Arrogant. Self-Indulgent. Possibly the best words to sum up Robbie Williams, whose second US album (following 1999's
appropriately titled The Ego Has Landed) finds the former Take That star (the UK's New Kids, er, Backstreet, er N'Sync of the early 90's)
at his pop masterful best. Whether it be subtle, earnest ballads like "Better Man" and "Love Calling Earth," or groove thumpers like the
infectious "Rock DJ" (with its stunning/nauseating video) or "Knutsford City Limits," Williams is definitely winning. Hence
all the singing. Might as well add superb to the list and bulk up the ego a little more.
CPA: 3.6 - Help Robbia's insecurity and listen to: "Let Love Be Your Energy," "The Road to Mandalay," "Rock DJ"
Vv-AT A3E VvE T-RCwl\3 ON
STAGE DURING CONCERTS.•J|
Scissors 20%
Doorknobs 6%
Hissy Fits 24%
Boy Scouts 5%
Traffic Signs 8%
Heat Seeking Grenades 13%
Cous-Cous 15%
Severed Limbs 9%
1987 Ford Escorts 2%
Hamsters 14%
Results based on the transcendental scribbling on the back of a wrinkly one dollar bill.
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LOCAL !V£Nues
Adam's Place
30 E Broadway (541)344 6948
Black Forest
2465 H.lyard Street (541)344 0816
Various. Rock, Blues
Cafe Paradiso
115 W Broadway (541)484 9933
Various, Folk, Dance
Chez Ray's
44 W 10th (541)344 1530
Blues, Jazz, Rock
Doc s Pad
165 W 11th (541)683-8101
4740 Mam (541) 747-7900
Springfield
Acoustic, Rock
J
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