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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2001)
Power generators kicked into high gear ■ When treezing weather hit Eugene over break, the University turned to other sources for electricity By Brooke Ross Oregon Daily Emerald During winter vacation the Uni versity spread the holiday spirit by offering its help to the entire Eu gene community as below- freez ing temperatures drove up the de mand for power and threatened to exhaust the community’s energy source. It may not be the last time the campus has to offer its servic es. At the request of the Eugene Wa ter and Electric Board, the Univer sity used both of its electrical gen erators to fill all of the campus’s electricity needs Dec. 11 and 12, so EWEB could better meet the com munity’s energy demand during the ongoing Northwest energy cri sis. The crisis, which is being caused by an unusually dry winter, higher power prices and not enough new power generation sources, led EWEB to ask its com mercial customers to curtail their use of power or generate their own electricity. “The demand for electricity has grown due to population increas es, but the supply has not kept up with the demand," EWEB Public Affairs Manager Marty Douglass said. In early December there were forecasts for zero degree tempera tures, he said, adding the situation could have meant not enough en ergy for all of Eugene. Although the temperatures did not drop as expected, Douglass said the University, along with oth er commercial customers, may be asked to generate their own power again in future months if severe weather becomes a reality. “We’re on alert throughout the winter since freezing temperatures still pose a threat,” Douglass said. George Hecht, University Cam The demand for electricity has grown due to population increases, but the supply has not kept up with the demand. Marty Douglass EWEB Public Affairs Manager pus Operations director, said the University has two generators, and each can generate as much as three megawatts of power per hour, but under normal conditions only about half of the generators’ power is used. “Buying electricity is generally cheaper, so we use the generators only when we need to,” he said. One generator is a back pressure generator that is used to generate steam for heating the campus and the other is a condensation genera tor that is not used as often, he said. Although the University did not lose any money from using the generators this time, Hecht thinks the price of campus power is going to increase. “It’s possible this energy short age could be a long term problem, and the era of cheap energy will be gone,” he said. Douglass also said University electricity rates are expected to in crease soon. “I think we’ll see customers pay ing more than they ever have be fore,” he said, adding that the in creased rates will apply to all customers. University Energy Specialist Amy Lake said the University will receive a credit from EWEB for the amount of electricity used from the generators. She added that utility rates, which are the prices of heating campus auxiliary buildings such as the EMLI and student housing, will also be unaffected by higher costs from the generator usage be cause these buildings are heated by steam and not electricity. “I think we’ll find out we bene fited from the generator use over all,” she said. “Once we factor in the fuel that will be made up with the credit I think we’ll come out on top.” Increase continued from page 1 energy costs. Like Weyerhauser, Sacred Heart creates its own ener gy by using steam, something that has helped keep costs down in the past. Jim Weston, director of facilities management for Sacred Heart, said costs will go up due to the price in crease, but patients won’t be pay ing more for their healthcare. “We’ll find a way to handle the increase without compromising the quality of our care,” Weston r said. Sacred Heart has completed three years of a five-year agree ment with EWEB to conserve ener gy. EWEB has put $1 million into the $1.5 million plan that has giv en the medical center energy effi cient lights, more sophisticated motors on the equipment and wa ter “chillers” that will all help con serve energy. Despite all the conservation ef forts, Sacred Heart will still need to find ways to cut back costs with out making patients uncomfort able, Weston said. “Patients can be assured that we Patients can be assured that we won't be turning the lights off on them or shutting off their heat. Jim Weston Director of Management Sacred Heart won’t be turning the lights off on 1 ^Advertise in Oregon (Daily Emerald Classifieds! Call 346-4343! t3orfc 2Timcsf DELIVERED TO YOUR CAMPUS DOORSTEP. THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON BOOKSTORE Take advantage now of special low campus rates for subscriptions to the <Nett> JJork Units! and have your paper delivered to the Bookstore for pick up Monday through Friday. For delivery beginning January 15, ending March 16: Sign up at the Bookstore by Friday, January 12,10am. Only $18.00 For delivery beginning January 22, ending March 16: Sign up at the Bookstore by Friday, January 19,10am. Only $16.00 4SSk UNIVERSITY OF OREGON BOOKSTORE On the corner of 13th Avenue and Kincaid Street • www.uobookstore.com 541-346-4331 • Open Daily. M-F 7:45-6:00 / Sat 10:00-6:00 / Sun 12:00-6:00 them or shutting off their heat,” Weston said. “We’re going to have to look at where we can trim costs.” Smaller businesses, such as the University of Oregon Bookstore, will also be affected by the price hike. However, the bookstore isn’t anticipating raising its prices as a result of the energy crisis. “We’re still a big enough busi ness that we can afford an increase like this,” General Manager Jim Williams said. The bookstore is already equipped with energy-saving light fixtures, and has been involved in EWEB’s energy-saving programs. “Everything we do, we try to do in a conserving way,” Williams said. Williams also said that if energy prices continue to rise into next year, the bookstore may incur ad ditional expenses, but none large enough to affect product prices. “Each business is going to need to do an internal assessment of it’s power need,” Connolly said. Chavez continued from page 1 abusive relationship, who fled Guatemala at a time of turmoil in that country, who landed in the United States knowing no one and having no friends and having no place to live and no way to support herself.” Chavez said a friend introduced them and asked her to take Merca do in. “I did that even at the time know ing that there was some risk to me,” she said, adding: “If I was asked by a friend to do that again, I would do it in an instant, without hesitation. Union leaders and some Democ rats were already gearing up to try and defeat Chavez’s nomination be fore the immigrant story broke, con cerned about her strongly conserva tive positions and background, including opposition to affirmative action and raising the minimum wage. On Tuesday, the AFL-CIO re leased a 17-page analysis of her record and promised to try and stop her confirmation in the Senate. In light of the new controversy, Senate Democrats also were set to charge hypocrisy, noting that Chavez had criticized Zoe Baird, who was forced to withdraw in 1993 as President Clinton’s nomi nee for attorney general. Baird had had illegal aliens as household help and did not pay Social Security tax es on their wages, and Chavez said that the illegal alien aspect of that case was most troubling. On Tuesday, Chavez said that the Baird case was different from her own, though she said that Baird, too, was treated unfairly. With less than two weeks before Bush takes the White House, there was no immediate word of a new nominee. Bush said in a statement that he was disappointed Chavez would not be in his Cabinet. “Linda is a good person with a great deal of compassion," he said. Earlier prospects for the Labor Department included Missouri Rep. Jim Talent, a defeated nomi nee for governor of Missouri; Rep. Jennifer Dunn of Washington and Rich Bond, a former chairman of the Republican National Commit tee. One Bush adviser said Tuesday the prospects also included Elaine L. Chao, former deputy transporta tion secretary and the wife of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, the top Democrat on the committee that handles this nomi nation, said Chavez’s withdrawal offered Bush a second chance. “If there’s a silver lining to the events of recent days it’s the oppor tunity now to name a labor secre tary in the distinguished tradition of recent Republican presidents,” he said in a statement. Bush initially stuck with Chavez, but by Tuesday, the president elect’s high command got word to the nominee that she should with draw. It was a quick step to cut po litical losses and avoid the distrac tion of a Cabinet dispute with an evenly divided Senate. With his nominees for attorney general, John Ashcroft, and for sec retary of the interior, Gale Norton, also drawing sharp opposition over their views, a Chavez uproar could have been a significant problem. Chavez, 53, headed the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights during the Reagan administration. She has since been a conservative colum nist and television commentator, and founded the Center for Equal opportunity, a conservative think tank in Washington. © RECYCLE
