Wwp Joins Request For Bpa Review Thirty-One Utilities, Groups Press Lawmakers For Action

Washington Water Power Co. has joined a broad coalition of utilities, conservation and wildlife groups calling for a comprehensive review of the Bonneville Power Administration.

Chairman Paul Redmond was among 31 signers of a letter sent Monday to members of the Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana congressional delegations calling attention to “structural and far-reaching problems” at the federal power-marketing agency.

The letter says a new rate proposal and other initiatives indicate Bonneville has taken a piecemeal approach to relieving pressures imposed by escalating fish-recovery costs and competition from other energy suppliers.

The BPA supplies about half of all the electricity consumed in the Pacific Northwest, most of which is generated at 30 federal dams. The dams are blamed to a large extent for pushing several salmon species to the brink of extinction.

BPA officials are pressing the Clinton administration and Congress to set a limit on annual salmon restoration costs and exempt the power marketing agency from a variety of laws requiring efforts to save the fish.

“It is not often that such a disparate group as the signers of this letter can reach common ground,” the leaders of 30 groups wrote.

“We do, however, agree that the energy future in the Northwest is at a crossroads and that it is now time to begin a comprehensive review of the role Bonneville will play in that energy future,” they said.

In addition to WWP, other signers included Portland General Electric Co., PacifiCorp, Idaho Irrigation Pumpers Association, Montana Power Co., Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, Sierra Club, League of Women Voters of Washington, Pacific Rivers Council, and Trout Unlimited.

Tom Paine, manager of government affairs for WWP, said the Spokane utility wants Bonneville to solve its problems, but not by shifting costs to others.

“We don’t want our customers to be picking up additional costs that they’re not receiving anything for,” he said.

“We are an open agency,” BPA spokeswoman Lynn Baker said Tuesday in response to the letter.

“When the industry is restructuring as the electricity industry is now, it is perfectly appropriate to examine how we fit in. We welcome that,” she said.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Bert Caldwell Staff writer The Associated Press contributed to this report.