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FINAL ISSUE No. 29: December 16, 1996

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BULLETIN is a publication providing access to information on the 1996 Comprehensive Review of the Northwest Energy System.

(1) BULLETIN ADVISORY :: This is the final Regional Review Steering Committee Meeting.

(2) THE FINAL TEXT :: of the Steering Committee Report to the governors is available at Document Access for reading and download.

(3) SUMMARY of the December 12 Steering Committee meeting at the Ridpath Hotel in Spokane, Washington. The four Northwest governors accepted the final report of the Comprehensive Energy Review steering committee for restructuring the Northwest energy system. All committee members were present. There were approximately 50 audience members.

• THE REVIEW IN CONTEXT -- If people don't understand that the status quo is changing rapidly, the review's report won't make sense, steering committee chair Chuck Collins told the governors. The report is a set of strategies to get through the difficult period from 1995 to 2005 when BPA's costs are likely to be above the market, he said.

 • REPORTS ON THE REPORT BY STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS -- Four committee members made presentations: Ken Canon on Competition and Consumer Choice; Rachel Shimshak on Public Purposes; John Saven on Federal Power Marketing; and Bill Drummond on Transmission. Each identified goals the committee agreed to and "means" recommended for implementation.

 • THE GENERAL MAKES THE HANDOFF -- Collins, dubbed "the General" by many during the process, said, "we've achieved a consensus, but it's not a comprehensive consensus" because it doesn't include fish and wildlife. Those issues need to be dealt with, he stated.

You will be lobbied intensively by the members of some constituencies, Collins told the governors. The support for these recommendations is broad, but you'll have to hang onto this, he stated. What you have is as good a deal as will be possible, Collins said.

It's the end for me, but for you, it's the beginning, he stated. Keep the momentum going, Collins urged. "I think we've got something very good here," he concluded.

• THE GOVERNORS RESPOND -- Mike Lowry of Washington said the report "clearly moved in response to the charge we presented to the committee." I was delighted to hear the statements acknowledging that while your work concentrated on energy, you recognized the importance of the biological health of the river, fish and wildlife, and the need to develop a regional governance structure to carry that forward, he said. We must move ahead on more effective river governance, Lowry urged, adding, the four states, the federal government, and the tribal governments are so important in finding a structure that will work.

Phil Batt of Idaho told the committee "you picked through a land mine of controversial things," and we need to proceed with your outline. We governors won't be able to isolate this from fish and wildlife and river governance, as you could, he noted. We'll take your work and discuss it in the states, Batt said. The federal government and the tribes need involvement to a degree, but the role of the states is the key one, he added. We must continue with this forum or a similar one, Batt said.

"Thanks for your superlative service to the Northwest," Marc Racicot of Montana told the committee. Your recommendations will be the guiding influence for the region as we transition to a market-reliant electricity business, he said.

The committee recommended that the governors reconsider river governance, noted Racicot. I am a strong believer in the region's ability to solve its own problems "so count me in among the home rule advocates," he said. I intend to redouble my efforts to ensure there is accountability for fish and wildlife spending; accountability has been the missing ingredient in the past, he said.

Your federal power marketing recommendations recognized the need to stabilize BPA through the subscription process, Racicot said. We want to keep the assets of the Columbia and Snake rivers in our hands, and that may happen only if the subcription process succeeds, he added. The Transition Board is an essential next step, Racicot stated. You've done a good job to move the ball forward -- there is much, much more work to be done, he concluded.

John Kitzhaber of Oregon stated that he had two goals when the review began: to ensure that the federal assets of the power system continued to be devoted to the people of the Northwest and to ensure that public benefits are funded. Your recommendations provide a broad outline for those objectives, Kitzhaber said.

Parts of what the review accomplished are based on a fragile compromise, he observed. If we want to hold onto the system we have, we need to act as one in dealing with the federal government, Kitzhaber advised. Presenting a unified front is essential, and you've provided an excellent basis for doing that, he said.

• AFTER THE MEETING -- The governors appointed their four representatives as the Northwest Energy Review Transition Board and asked them to submit a draft strategic work plan for implementing the steering committee's recommendations by mid-February.

A detailed account of the Steering Committee meeting may be accessed in the Review Document Access section.

(4) DOCUMENT ACCESS :: All general documents associated with the Comprehensive Review are available in full text at this website on the Review Document Access page, which is organized by month. If you are reading Bulletin in hard copy and want World Wide Web access, the URL is http://newsdata.com/enernet/review/bulletin.html.

For hard copies of this and other Review documents, contact the Northwest Power Planning Council in Portland at 800/222-3355 and ask for Public Affairs.

(5) FEEDBACK :: You may comment generally on the Review, or specifically on review documents, by sending an e-mail to feedback@newsdata.com. The comment will be e-mailed to the Review website and will become part of the official record. For fax and mail comments, fax Comprehensive Review, 503/795-3370 or write to Comprehensive Review, Northwest Power Planning Council, 851 SW Sixth Avenue, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97204-1348.

BULLETIN is published online and off by Energy NewsData with staff cooperation and funding support from the Northwest Power Planning Council and the Review itself. Reports on meetings are prepared by Resource Writers Inc.

Editor: Cyrus No? Web Editor: Lene Hansen, Assistant Web Editor: Nicholas No?/p>

Please contact feedback@newsdata.com if you have questions or comments
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Last modified: December 16, 1996
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