06/15/06 Congress and BPA rates; energy corridors

A House-Senate conference committee has approved a supplemental appropriations bill that Idaho senators say protects power rate payers. The Bush Administration wanted to raise Bonneville Power Administration rates but Senator Larry Craig and others blocked that move in the appropriations bill. CRAIG "We don't want a backdoor way of taxing the Pacific Northwest ratepayer by simply raising rates to put money into the general fund of our government." Mike Crapo says the entire Northwest delegation, Republicans and Democrats, will fight any move to tamper with power rates. CRAPO "Particularly since the burdens of that system and of those issues such as the Endangered Species efforts and requirements are also something that we bear in the Pacific Northwest." Four federal agencies are preparing for energy corridors on government land in Idaho and ten other western states by releasing a preliminary map. The Department of Energy is now looking for comments and suggestions until July 10th about the corridors where pipelines and transmission lines may be built in the future. An electronic version of the map is available on the project website: http://corridoreis.anl.gov which also provides a way to submit comments electronically. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott