H-4511              _______________________________________________

                                           HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 4040

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Barnes, Nelson, Todd and Jacobsen

Read first time 1/27/88 and referred to Committee on Energy & Utilities.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, 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 HONORABLE MARTHA O. HESSE, CHAIRMAN, AND MEMBERS OF THE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION:

          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, Enactment of the Electric Consumers Protection Act of 1986 gave affected states status before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) through development of a state comprehensive hydroelectric development plan, indicating congressional intent that these states have a voice in the hydroelectric project licensing process; and

          WHEREAS,  States' interests, including power production, fish and wildlife habitat protection, minimum stream flows, aesthetic values, recreational interests, domestic water supply, irrigation, and flood control, should receive full consideration in FERC hydroelectric project licensing proceedings; and

          WHEREAS,  The State of Washington has begun development of a state comprehensive hydroelectric development plan in order to accede to the congressionally intended role for states in the hydroelectric project licensing process; and

          WHEREAS,  FERC issued Order No. 481 in October 1987, delineating requirements for state comprehensive hydroelectric development plans; and

          WHEREAS,  FERC Order No. 481 is drawn in such a manner, for example requiring such a level of specificity as to make a plan prohibitively expensive to prepare, that its requirements are essentially infeasible of fulfillment, thereby effectively denying states a meaningful role in the hydroelectric project licensing process;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that FERC revise Order No. 481 in cooperation with states so that the order be made functional and enabling for states to exercise their congressionally intended role in the hydroelectric project licensing process; and

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the Honorable Martha O. Hesse, Chairman, and members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington as a request that they oversee this matter to ensure that revision to FERC Order No. 481 takes place and results in feasible access to and meaningful participation in the hydroelectric project licensing process.