< back		 John Saven, Northwest Requirements Utilities

Saven is executive director of Northwest Requirements Utilities, which includes approximately 40 utilities, located in six states, that are full requirements customers of the Bonneville Power Administration. These utilities are primarily small and rural, and may have significant agricultural electrical loads. He also provides executive staff support to two organizations: Northwest Irrigation Utilities and the Non-Generating Public Utilities Group.

As a consultant, Saven focused on financial analysis in the public sector. He served as deputy superintendent of finance and administration for Seattle City Light from 1983 to 1992. Prior to that, he was budget director for the City of Seattle. He obtained a bachelor of science degree from Syracuse University in 1970, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Washington in 1972.
1. What is the best thing about the recommendations? The Steering Committee's draft report provides a reasonable framework for the various interests in the region to discuss the future of the electricity business in the Northwest. Most importantly, we have raised issues about the newly evolving competitive marketplace, and the implications of competition for BPA and the customers who rely on the Agency for services. We have also been forced to ask probing questions regarding the extent to which BPA may be vulnerable to attach under the banner of downsizing federal activities. The Review may be an initial "test" of whether the region has the fortitude to develop a cohesive plan for the future, or whether we will end up responding to events in a fragmented manner.
2. What is the most challenging thing about the recommendations? The intent of the review was to try to unify divergent interests. I am troubled that the review has wandered into subject areas outside of its initial scope, and has proposed actions which are not based upon our own work to understand issues, and without an effort to consult with impacted parties. This is of particular concern if recommendations have a tendency to polarize the region between east and west, and between the interests of rural and urban areas. The result could be to expend our energies fighting over one limited topic, and miss our opportunity to address the big picture.
3. Why should people care about the recommendations? People in the region will either have to live with the consequence of our actions, or our inability to act. We need to stake our a future that meets the needs of customers in our region, while fulfilling our responsibilities for environmental stewardship. Collective efforts with significant participation and the airing of divergent points of views inherently produce better results and opportunity for public acceptance that the work of a few.