08/04/05 Relicensing reform?

08/04/05 Relicensing reform?

There are several areas of the Energy Bill recently passed by Congress that could have potential benefits to the Northwest. Not only could more renewable fuel production mean a potential savings at the gas pumps for motorists, but it increases encouragement of start up production plants using vegetative matter through tax breaks, which could mean the potential of new jobs for rural communities. But perhaps the one aspect of the Energy Bill that has gained the attention of our region has been a change in the way the facilities for the Northwest's main source of power is licensed by the federal government. CRAIG: We recognized the old that must be renewed. And I believe that is hydro. And in the Pacific Northwest, that was critical. Senator Larry Craig of Idaho is among a handful of Northwest lawmakers celebrating the inclusion of streamlined provisions for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's relicensing process for Northwest dams. The concern began when new federal energy policy introduced in the mid-1980's brought all stakeholders into the relicensing process. CRAIG: We just included everybody except the producer and said "You have a right to shape the new facility when it's relicensed, no matter what the cost and no matter what the demand, as long as it fits the environmental demand of the stakeholders involved. The result of that policy, according to Craig and other supporters of a streamlined relicensing process, is it has put several dam operators in places like Idaho and the mid-Columbia River region in a long-drawn out process taking several years, taking in account the concerns of fishing, environmental, and tribal groups, as well as commercial ratepayers, and customers. CRAIG: And so we couldn't get licensing done, it went on for years and years and cost of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, and nothing got done, and when it did get done, the production plant usually produced less than it did before. Stakeholders will still have the ability for input on Northwest hydro facilities in this updated relicensing process. But Craig and others say the streamlined process comes in the nick of time, as several Northwest dam operators are currently undergoing or will soon go through relicensing during the next twenty years. His belief is this move should not only save ratepayers money but in the long run, continue to make Northwest hydropower affordable for both existing customers and new industries attracted to relocate to the region to take advantage of low power rates.
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