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The INDEPENDENT, February 20, 2002
Business Notos___________________________________________
WOEC diversifies with NoaNet rural telecommunications project
In keeping with West Oregon
Electric Cooperative’s strategic
vision to enhance the rural
lifestyle and diversify the co
op’s business opportunities, the
board of directors approved
participation in the Northwest
Open
Access
Network
(NoaNet). The NoaNet project
will provide improved telecom
munication services in rural ar
eas through fiber optic cable
leased from the Bonneville
Power Administration (BPA).
“We are excited about the
opportunity to partner with oth
er electric cooperatives across
Oregon to enhance telecom
munications service and add a
valuable asset to rural commu
nities and their economic de
velopment efforts,” said Robert
VanNatta, West Oregon Elec
tric board president.
The members of NoaNet
Oregon are nonprofit, commu
nity-owned electric coopera
tives. Co-ops can use the
NoaNet fiber optic system for
utililty purposes such as real
time metering and energy man
agement. In addition, NoaNet
will make excess capacity
available to others on a cost-
based, nondiscriminatory ba
sis. For example, communities
might use the NoaNet system
to interconnect schools, hospi
tals, judicial systems, libraries
and emergency services.
Utility members and cus
tomers of NoaNet will develop
and operate communication
systems within their own ser
vice areas that will connect with
the NoaNet backbone system.
Since NoaNet’s licensed fibers
run mainly through rural areas,
this new system is well suited
to meet the future telecommu
nication needs of rural commu
nities. These communities are
often not economically attrac
tive markets for most telecom
munication companies. By pro
viding access to advanced
broadband telecommunication
facilities on an open, cost-
based
principle,
NoaNet
promises to help their utilities,
customers and Oregon’s rural
communities.
Last year, as the board of di
rectors considered the NoaNet
Bretthauer opens Oregon’s
first alternative fuel station
Bretthauer Oil Company,
which owns Vernonia 76 Ser
vice and began delivering pe
troleum products over 75 years
ago, has now opened the first
commercial compressed natur
al gas (CNG) fueling station in
Oregon. The station, located
just east of Cornelius Pass
Road at 21180 NW Amberwood
Drive in Hillsboro, is considered
a major step in promoting alter
native fuel use in the state.
“Bretthauer’s alternative fuel
station is an investment in Ore
gon’s air quality and indepen
dence from foreign oil prices,”
said Mark Kendall, senior ener
gy analyst with the Oregon Of
fice of Energy. “Compressed
natural gas or CNG is the
cleanest burning alternative
fuel available."
On-road vehicles using tradi
tional fuels produce more than
60 percent of all carbon monox
ide pollution. Studies have
shown that dedicated CNG ve
hicles reduce exhaust emis
sions of carbon monoxide by
approximately 70 percent and
of carbon dioxide (the principle
greenhouse gas) by up to 30
percent, compared with gaso-
line-powered vehicles. Com
pressed natural gas can be
used in an internal combustion
engine with few modifications.
The City of Hillsboro and the
Port of Portland are purchasing
alternative fuel vehicles to use
CNG. Northwest Natural, which
provided technical assistance
for the project and will provide
the fuel, will also refuel its vehi
cles at the station.
project, the co-op’s members
approved a bylaw change that
would allow the board to ex
plore other beneficial business
opportunities, including the
NoaNet project. Those revi
sions passed by nearly a 3-1
margin.
“For West Oregon Electric,
the NoaNet project provides an
opportunity to diversify its busi
ness plan,” said Russell Green,
West Oregon Electric general
manager. “Our business plan
shows that our NoaNet cus
tomers will benefit from com
petitive pricing and quality ser
vice, while our electric ratepay
ers will see long-term benefits
as we achieve greater econo
mies of scale."
As a NoaNet member, West
Oregon Electric became an eq-
Seminar on legal
traps for employers
A free seminar for employ
ers - Six Snafus “Legal Traps
Employers Should Avoid” - will
be presented by Chet Nakada,
of the Bureau of Labor and In
dustries, Wednesday, March 6,
from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at
the Columbia Tech Center, 375
S. 18th in St. Helens. Registra
tion begins at 9:00 a.m.
The seminar is sponsored
by the Oregon Employment
Department, Management &
Training Corporation and the
St. Helens/Scappoose Cham
ber of Commerce, with a grant
from the Regional Workforce
board.
Make reservations by Feb
ruary 25, by contacting either
Diana Riggs Nish at 503-397-
6495 or Jeanette Sharing-
housen at 503-397-4995 x-26.
P ay those C hristmas B ills ...
uity partner, providing cash as
part of its participation. The co
op is also responsible to guar
antee a portion of the construc
tion loan for the project. Finally,
West Oregon Electric must
build its own “middle mile” fiber
network in order to serve cus
tomers. Revenues from the
sale of telecommunication ser
vices will cover costs associat
ed with the project. The cooper
ative is able to take advantage
of this unique opportunity be
cause of funds provided by a
recent financial settlement with
Portland General Electric relat
ed to the proposed purchase of
their electric facilities in Colum
bia County. No electric ratepay
er revenues are being used for
this project.
Small Woodlands Association
expands annual seedling tree sale
The Columbia County
Small Woodlands Association
will hold its fourth annual tree
sale from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m., Saturday, March 9, in
the Hi-School Pharmacy
parking lot in St. Helens.
Species of trees at the
sale will include improved
Douglas fir, giant sequoia,
coast redwood, incense ce
dar, noble fir, Norway maple,
red maple, ponderosa pine,
western red cedar, quaking
aspen, maidenhair tree, little-
leaf linden, Colorado spruce,
Danish noble, “flame" maple,
red oak, Chinese dogwood
and pin oak.
The number of improved
Douglas fir seedlings has
been increased significantly
from former years, since the
supply had been exhausted
early during prior sales. Oth
ers should be in adequate
supply, however, purchasers
are advised to arrive in the
morning to assure availability.
Tree planting directions
will be distributed and quali
fied foresters will be on hand
to answer questions about
selection, suitability, planting
and care. Most of the seed
lings are bare root, although
a limited number of several
species are prepotted.
The nonprofit Small Wood
lands Association promotes
family forestland owners’ un
derstanding of responsible
land stewardship on parcels
of 5 to 5,000 acres. Nearly
150 families In Columbia
County are active in the orga-
nization^ which sponsors
tours, speakers and other ed
ucational activities for mem
bers and friends. Over the
past several years, members
have planted over a quarter
of a million improved Douglas
fir seedlings, which are grown
under contract for the Associ
ation.
For more information, call
President Rod Nastrom at
503-397-5997 or Paul Nys at
503-556-8800.
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