Northwest Energy Plan Draws Mixed Reviews

A proposal to prepare for deregulation in the Northwest energy system drew cautious support from industrial and utility interests Wednesday night and harsh words from environmentalists.

Representatives of special interest groups testified in Spokane in the ninth and final public hearing on draft recommendations for balancing energy and conservation needs as free-market forces change how energy is purchased and distributed.

Charles Collins, chairman of the steering committee that drew up the recommendations, has said failure to adopt a unified energy plan could put the region’s low-cost energy system at risk, either from efforts to sell the Bonneville Power Administration or to charge higher interest rates on loans used to build federal dams.

James McClure, a former U.S. senator from Idaho, called the four-state panel’s review “a good beginning” toward preserving local control for energy planning in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Without regional consensus, the federal government would likely formulate a regional energy policy that ignores the Northwest’s traditional reliance on inexpensive hydropower for economic health, he said.

“Unless we in the Northwest manage to arrive at consensus ourselves, someone else will tell us how to solve this problem,” said McClure, who testified on behalf of the Competitive Market Coalition, representing industrial and utility interests.

Most of the roughly 150 audience members applauded comments by Jim Baker, Northwest salmon campaign coordinator for the Sierra Club. He called the panel’s review “a non-starter” that won’t force utilities to take steps to preserve salmon runs.

The panel will begin working on its final draft today in Portland, with the finished document to be turned over to the governors Dec. 12.