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BPA Responds to Utility Slice Plan
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA ) July 2nd released a response to a utility proposal to allocate BPA power for 20 years beginning in 2006 (see May Report for details of the utility "Slice " proposal). The agency's initial take on the Slice plan is cautious and deliberately avoids taking a strong pro or con stance. BPA identified a number of legal and technical difficulties that would have to be worked out, but in general thought the proposal could work. The agency did raise concerns about losing the benefits of the agency's central planning role but acknowledged that reducing BPA's financial risks and need to acquire resources has "significant appeal."
Bonneville did not delve deeply into how the utility proposal should address the agency's role in region wide investments in conservation and renewable resources or how it would deal with BPA's obligation to mitigate the deadly effects of dams on endangered Columbia and Snake River salmon. Missing also is BPA's take on how aluminum concerns would be addressed under Slice. A group of public interest groups and state policy makers is now in the process of developing a proposal for how BPA's efficiency and renewable resource investments can be hard-wired into the proposal. Fish advocates and tribes are working on proposals to make Slice positive for salmon. Given the huge implications of the plan, winning acceptance of it among all the region's stakeholders will require unprecedented compromise.
BPA also proposed a tentative schedule and process for the agency and the Northwest Power Planning Council to seek public input and evaluate the proposal's merits. The schedule includes two rounds of public meetings, the first starting in mid- September to get feedback and/or alternatives to the Slice plan. BPA would then incorporate those comments into an agency recommendation for further review in a second group of hearings in early 2003. If the recommendation wins acceptance, BPA would produce a Record of Decision in April, 2003 and actually sign utility contracts at the end of that year.
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Steven Weiss