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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2009)
The INDEPENDENT, February 5, 2009 Page 15 Power of the People By W. Marc Farmer, General Manager, West Oregon Electric Cooperative Updates and Information A lot of our members are asking why their electric bills are high when they were without power for a few days. The expla- nation is simple, when the temperature drops, the amount of electricity used to heat a home increases dramatically. When printing out a daily usage for the month, members are quick- ly finding out that they have used considerably more electric- ity during the days they had power due to the extremely cold temperatures in December and January. The days without electricity actually kept the bills from being even higher. Speaking of the power outages due to the storm, we are getting closer to the ac- tual costs that WOEC incurred to restore power and repair the system. To date, we are over the $1.7 million mark, making this event the costliest storm in WOEC his- tory. We have been in contact with Commissioners for each of the four counties we serve and with the Oregon Emergency Management people to give them our num- bers. Hopefully, together, there will be enough financial impact to trigger a disaster declaration. If we are successful, then the state will send its disaster declaration to the federal level, where the President could declare a disaster, which paves the way for FEMA funding. West Oregon Electric Co-op would then submit a request for funding up to 75 percent of the actual costs resulting from the 2008-09 snow storm. We are doing everything we can to support and move this process along. If we are unsuccessful, we will be hard-pressed to cover costs of this magnitude. We always keep a reserve account to protect us in case of major storms, and it saved us during the 2006 wind storm and the 2007 wind storm and flood. Each of those storm events was declared a disaster and we received FEMA funds to help replenish most of the reserve. We had the reserve account back up to the full amount, but this storm exceeds that amount by almost double. Without FEMA fund- ing, we will be in a difficult position, especially if we were to get hit again this win- ter. The front office would like to once again request all of our members who change phone numbers, or move to cell phone from their landline phones, to let us know so we can update our records. This is especially important during outages so we can notify or be in contact with our members. Please give us a call and help us to help you. Also a reminder to let us know when you see trees or limbs that are hazards or potential hazards to our power lines so we can be proactive rather than reactive. We will send out a tree crew to eliminate problems before they result in an outage. The more trees and limbs we can move away from our lines, the better it is for all of us. It is always cheaper and easier to cut trees and limbs in the daylight than af- ter hours with a flashlight. We appreciate your assistance and support for our sys- tem and our crews and staff. Thanks everyone! The final update is in regards to the Timber/Elsie transmission line that went down during the 2006 windstorm. We have the green light from the Board of Direc- tors to proceed with undergrounding the line, thus eliminating the constant outages related to falling trees and limbs. This will increase the reliability of power fed from Timber through Elsie. DEQ says, “Go green to save green” OSU offers recession tips online Conserving energy and wa- ter and using environmentally friendly products can save money for your business. The following actions can reduce air and water pollution and global warming. They also can result in more effective business practices and efficiencies that often translate into bottom line benefits. Many of these actions qualify for a 35 percent Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit. Business site characteris- tics: • Make your next building a Leadership in Energy and Envi- ronmental Design (LEED) building. • Use a landscape mainte- nance contractor who uses en- vironmentally friendly practices like those included in the Eco- Biz landscape program. Make sure they… – Use alternatives to pesti- cides, herbicides, or any other chemicals. – Landscape with native plants. – Incorporate storm water management into the land- scape. – Manage all of their air emissions, water discharges, and hazardous and solid wastes properly. – Collect rainwater for use in toilets or landscaping. – Purchase non-toxic and low- or no-VOC products for building maintenance and Oregonians who are finding it hard to make ends meet dur- ing these tough economic times have a new resource at their fingertips that quickly links them to key assistance pro- grams with the click of a mouse. In an effort to compile useful resources in one easy-to-ac- cess place, the Oregon State University Extension Service has created a Web site, “Find- ing Help in Tough Times,” con- taining links to agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and Oregon’s Employment, Ed- ucation and Human Services departments. These sites help people find information about filing for unemployment, finding a job, avoiding foreclosure, staying mentally and physically healthy, and applying for food stamps, nutrition programs and free or lower-priced school meals. “The Web site highlights health and social service re- cleaning. – Use night lighting that doesn’t contribute to light pollu- tion. – Purchase furnishings made with renewable materials and non-toxic adhesives and coatings. Resource conservation: • Provide all employees with training on how their individual activities impact the environ- ment. • Get an energy audit. • Purchase renewable ener- gy or credits to off-set your company’s carbon footprint. • Use water and energy effi- cient plumbing and lighting fix- tures and controls. • Maximize the use of day- lighting and passive solar heat- ing. • Maintain your HVAC sys- tem regularly. • Incorporate renewable en- ergy systems into your building, like solar or wind • Set the default on all print- ers to double-sided. • Use paper with percent post-consumer recycled mate- rial. • Provide recycling bins for paper, plastic and metal con- tainers, newspaper in common areas around the office. • Provide employees with the opportunity to bring in from home hard-to-recycle items such as Styrofoam, old batter- ies, light bulbs, ink cartridges, and other materials that are routinely recycled at work. • Equip break rooms with Energy Star rated appliances. • Provide reusable utensils, bowls, plates, glasses, and mugs for break rooms. Transportation: • Use a fleet maintenance contractor who uses environ- mentally friendly practices like those included in the EcoBiz auto repair program. Make sure they… – Perform regularly sched- uled maintenance including oil changes, tire pressure and wear checks, fluid and leak in- spections, filter replacements, and tailpipe smoke inspections. – Manage all of their air emissions, water discharges, and hazardous and solid wastes properly. • Join a group, like a trans- portation management associ- ation or a chamber of com- merce that can provide busi- nesses better access to transit options. • Provide employees with al- ternatives to driving alone to work, including carpooling, vanpooling, telecommuting, and flexible work schedules. • Provide employees with a transit subsidy. • Install bike racks for bicy- clists and showers for those who walk, run, or bike to work. • Maximize the use of video Please see page 20 sources available to people in need,” said Sally Bowman, a specialist with OSU Extension who was involved with creating the Web site. “It’s aimed at indi- viduals and families who need help, such as people who’ve had the rug pulled out from un- der them in bankruptcy, foreclo- sure or layoffs.” The site is: http://extension. oregonstate.edu/emergency/ tough_times.php . This new Web site also links to a site provided by the Coop- erative Extension System, a nationwide, noncredit educa- tional network, that contains advice on how to weather the economic storm financially and psychologically. Articles on that site offer tips on topics that in- clude how to manage debt, avoid eviction and foreclosure, determine one’s net worth, en- gage in family activities on a budget, and cope with the stress and anger that may fol- low a job loss. Your Painting & Interior Specialist Vernonia, Oregon 503-830-6057 CCB# 159353