PUC rules in favor of Klamath dam removal
By Christina Williams, Sustainable Business Oregon
Sustainable Business Oregon
The Oregon Public Utility Commission issued a ruling Thursday that the proposed Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement is in the best interest of PacifiCorp ratepayers and the cheapest alternative for the company.
The historic Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, signed in February, calls for the removal of four dams on the Klamath River in 2020. In its ruling, the PUC endorsed dam removal as a cheaper alternative over retrofitting and relicensing the dams.
"We argued for years that on the Klamath, dam removal saves ratepayers money. Today, after a thorough investigation, the Oregon Public Utility Commission has formally confirmed that fact," said Glen Spain, Northwest Director of the Pacific Coast Fishermen’s Associations in a statement. Spain represented commercial fishing interests in the Klamath Settlement negotiations.
PacifiCorp has approximately 550,000 customers in Oregon who are now contributing small surcharge amounts (averaging about $1.50 per month per customer) each month under the settlement agreement, toward a Klamath dam removal fund.
The settlement agreement caps ratepayer liability at $200 million. The alternative would be to formally relicense the dams, costing ratepayers an estimated $500 million or more.
A similar ruling by the California PUC is anticipated next year to cover PacifiCorp’s roughly 45,000 California customers.
christinawilliams@bizjournals.com | 503.219.3438
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