cost of klamath dam removal coming from your pockets 113009

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Cost for dam removal coming from your pocket - literally

Pioneer Press November 25, 2009

PacifiCorp will be filing a general rate case with the California Public Utilities Commission for a rate increase effective January 1, 2011. The filing is being made in compliance with a Commission order and is the first general rate case filing for PacifiCorp since November 2005.

During the recent Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors meeting, Pacific Power was asked about the Klamath Final Agreement.

Is the Company proposing to reflect the impacts of the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement ("KHSA") in this rate case, Pacific Power representatives were asked.
"Yes, but only once the KHSA is executed and reviewed by the CPUC in a separate proceeding," Pacific Power responded.

"In November 2009, parties to the KHSA negotiations, including the Company, the Department of Interior and the states of California and Oregon, released for public review and comment a final draft of the KHSA, which provides for the potential removal of PacifiCorp's four main-stem dams on the Klamath River in 2020."

"The Company expects to sign the KHSA in the upcoming months. Under the terms of the KHSA, the Company will then file an application with the CPUC and the Oregon Public Utility Commission seeking Commission review of the Company’s decision to enter into the KHSA. As such, the merits of the KHSA will be considered by the CPUC in a separate filing, with any impact on revenue requirement to be reflected in this rate case. The primary impact on revenue requirement for customers in this proceeding would relate to accelerating the depreciation of the existing investment in the facilities, including the costs of the relicensing and settlement process."