KOl'RTEEN The Gazette-Times. Heppner. Oregon. Thursday March 29. 197it
Energy may iirpa taxes in legislative priority
Salem Scene
By Jack Zimmerman
The name of the legislative
game in Salem this year is
supposed to be taxes specifi
cally relief from property
taxes.
But on the basis of news
emanating from the Capitol,
there may be another name
for this session of the Oregon
Legislature. That name may
be energy epitomized by
Trojan the $460 million nuc
lear power plant 42 miles
north of Portland on the banks
of the Columbia River.
While members of the House
Revenue Committee spent the
first two months of this session
agonizing over a tax relief
package, the Senate grabbed
headlines by refusing to con
firm Gov. Victor Atiyeh's
appointment of a temporary
Energy Department director.
The Governor's candidate,
according to prevailing Sena
tors, was too philosophically
in tunc with utilizing nuclear
fission (o generate electrical
energy. Trojan was in the
spol light.
The Governor proposed a
candidate to serve on the
Energy Facility Siting Coun
cilthe body that grants
certificates to permit con
struction of energy producing .
facilities. It was revealed that ,
candidate and his wife owned. ,
stock in Portland General
Electric Company, principal
owner-developer of Trojan.
The glare of publicity again
focused on the electrical
generating plant with a capa
city greater than two Bonne
ville Dams.
Even before the session,
began. Trojan became - 'a
household word when a con
trol room design error forced
its closure for . nearly nine
months while the flaw was '
corrected to meet earthquake
resistance standards.
These events served to
intensify earlier Trojan illu
mination during two attempts
by anti-nuclear protestors' to
occupy the plant, electrical
rate hearings before the '
Public Utility Commissioner
and the necessity to increase
storage of spent fuel rods at
the generating facility site.
And if those weren't enough.
PGE also was involved in
problems relating to starting
construction of another Tro jan
type generator near Arling
ton. In retrospect, events in the
recent past and controversies
over gubernatorial appoint
ments merely served as
curtain-raisers for subsequent
legislative developments that
are bound to keep Trojan on
stage as long as the 60th
Assembly continues to meet.
Anti-nuclear forces
stymied in attempts to forci
bly achieve a shutdown of
Trojan through occupation of
the plant have launched a
determined effort to legislate
the facility out of business.
A spate of bills introduced in
both houses would not only
close Trojan but prevent
construction of other nuclear
generating facilities.
The Trojan shutdown effort
in Salem even includes ele
ments of overkill. For in
stance, one bill would prohibit
storage of spent fuel at
nuclear plants while another
would effectively prohibit its
transportation to off-site stor
age areas.
There is a bill requiring
owners of nuclear generators
to provide front money for
eventual decommissioning.
Another would require ade
quate disposal of high-level
radioactive waste prior to site
certification a responsibility
already assumed by the fed
eral government.
Another proposal deals with
site security following decom
missioning and yet another
would require bonding to
indemnify the state from
liability for events occuring
during construction, operation
and dismantling of nuclear
plants.
The immediate foregoing
along with still another requir
ing counties within 50 air
miles of a nuclear plant to
prepare and implement
ovauioiioii plans appear lo
be scare tactics designed
solely create fear and
distrust "! nuclear generators
among the public at large.
Meanwhile. Trojan since
janii.n v has set a record for
continuous operation. All by
itscll Trojan kept thousands
of customers from severe
discomfort during this year's
record cold spell. And the
lai-L'csl single generator of
energy in Oregon consistently
continues to attract an aver
age of more than 12.000
curious and fearless visitors
monthly lo its on-site inform
ation center.
(losing Trojan would only
increase Oregon's dependence
on foreign and out-of-state
energy sources. The ability of
those sources to provide
energy lor Oregonians
depends on factors as common
as local demand and as
complicated as international
milium-
And while anti-nuclear for
ces assail lawmakers with
plans to shut down Trojan and
prevent construction of more
nuclear generators, still an
other group has descended on
the Capitol demanding fixed
rates for residential users
made possible by higher rates
for commerce and industry.
Pity the poor lawmaker who
recognizes Trojan's energy is
cheaper and more reliable
than energy purchased from
outsiders.
If he votes to close Trojan,
the cost of juice goes up while
folks are clamoring for lower
utility bills. And if he grants
reduced rates for some, others
must rise. And if commercial
and industrial users are
forced to subsidize residential
users, those additional costs
are passed on to consumers of
other goods and services or
businesses close and jobs
disappear.
Energy may well be a better
name for the game in Salem
this session. Because without
it there really won't be much
to tax.
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