BILL REQ. #:  S-3504.1 

Read first time 01/16/2004.   Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Water.

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, AND TO THE HONORABLE SPENCER ABRAHAM, SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, AND TO STEVEN WRIGHT, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION, AND TO THE HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE BOARDS OF DIRECTORS OF THE CONSUMER-OWNED UTILITIES AND THE INVESTOR-OWNED UTILITIES WHO ARE SERVED BY THE BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     WHEREAS, The economy of the Pacific Northwest Region is struggling to recover from an economic downturn, and high electricity prices have contributed to the struggles; and
     WHEREAS, The best way to facilitate an economic recovery in the Pacific Northwest Region is to promote the success of Northwest businesses and industries; and
     WHEREAS, The largest single economic asset to business and industry in the Pacific Northwest has historically been the inexpensive energy provided by the federal based hydro system; and
     WHEREAS, Decisions made by the Bonneville Power Administration over the past several years have radically altered the distribution of these benefits among the residents, businesses, and industries in the Pacific Northwest; and
     WHEREAS, These decisions have resulted in more than seventy-five percent of these benefits being transferred to the residential and small farm customers of investor-owned utilities; and
     WHEREAS, The accrual of benefits to this narrow customer group results in an unequal distribution of benefits of the federal based hydro system, and specifically results in nearly zero benefits to business and industrial customers of most consumer-owned utilities across the Northwest; and
     WHEREAS, The Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Act of 1980 is the federal law that governs how the distribution of these benefits are to be determined; and
     WHEREAS, The current distribution of benefits is contrary to a fair reading of the Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Act of 1980; and
     WHEREAS, A settlement of this legal dispute currently being proposed by the Bonneville Power Administration does little or nothing to change this unfair and unequal distribution of the benefits of the federal based hydro system, either in the short term or in the long term; and
     WHEREAS, The terms of this settlement do not follow a fair reading of the Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Act of 1980; and
     WHEREAS, This settlement provides only very small and very short-term rate relief to Pacific Northwest consumers; and
     WHEREAS, Long-term rate relief is critical to the continued economic viability of the Pacific Northwest;
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that in a spirit of cooperation and a willingness to work together to benefit the economy of the entire region, which will help the economic outlook in each sector and segment of the region, all participants in the related litigation resolve to abandon the proposed settlement, which falls short of accomplishing these stated goals, and begin developing a true settlement that flows from a fair reading of federal statutes, is fair to all participants, and results in true long-term rate relief for the entire Pacific Northwest Region.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the Office of Management and Budget, the Honorable Spencer Abraham, Secretary of the United States Department of Energy, Steven Wright, Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, the honorable members of the Boards of Directors of the consumer-owned utilities and the investor-owned utilities served by the Bonneville Power Administration, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.