< back		 Ken Canon, Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities

Since 1981, Canon has represented Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities (ICNU) as its executive director. ICNU represents its member’s electric energy interests before the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the Northwest Power Planning Council, with individual utilities and in other forums. In addition, Canon is the managing director of the Association of Public Agency Customers, a subset of ICNU, and participates in BPA rate proceedings.

Prior to 1981, Canon represented industries in legislative and regulatory arenas as the assistant general counsel for Associated Oregon Industries. Canon graduated from Willamette University Law School and is a partner in the Canon & Hutton law firm. His partner, Mary Ann Hutton, represents the Northwest Industrial Gas Users.
1. What is the best thing about the recommendations? A key aspect of the recommendations is the recognition the electric industry is undergoing a series of fundamental changes. The recommendations address these changes in a comprehensive fashion from a wide variety of views represented by the Steering Committee. Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities is supportive of those recommendations moving the electric industry towards competition at all levels and for all customers. Important recommendations supporting customer choice include the separation of generation from transmission and distribution and a fair resolution of the stranded cost issue. Substantive ideas to address Bonneville’s long-term role is another positive aspect of the recommendations. Bonneville’s role can be clarified by establishing a workable long-term Bonneville power sales subscription process which seeks to match the long-term risks faced by a Bonneville power purchaser with long-term Bonneville benefits.
2. What is the most challenging thing about the recommendations? The most challenging aspect of the Steering Committee’s efforts is to recognize the need for a number of other important parties to actually implement the Steering Committee’s proposals. Therefore, the proposals should be future oriented, comprehensive, internally consistent and practical. A major challenge is to plan for a future that is fundamentally different from the historic norm in the electric industry -- a future based on all customers (retail and wholesale) exercising the opportunity to choose their own electric power supplier. This is likely to have a profound impact on all of the other recommendations contained in the final Comprehensive Review report.
3. Why should people care about the recommendations? We all use electricity for a variety of beneficial purposes. Currently, we can only buy electricity from one source. However, the electric industry is in the midst of a challenging and exciting transition. The transition to a more customer-focused, competitive electric future will mean that all electric users will have additional choices from which to purchase electricity. Individual electric power supply choices may be based on price, reliability, convenience, and the type of resources desired, other services offered or any number of other factors. The Comprehensive Review’s recommendations will help to frame both the nature of the electric industry transition as well as the timeframe for gaining additional customer choices. These are important issues for all electric consumers.