Oregon Lawmakers Looking At Utility Prices

Like many other inputs, electricity and natural gas prices have increased over recent years, making it more expensive to run your farm operation.  Now, Oregon legislators are reviewing the way rates for investor-owned public utilities are set.  And while those utility prices have increased dramatically over the last few years, Bob Jenks, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board, recently told state lawmakers more increases are coming.

"Northwest Natural, Pacific Power, PGE, and Idaho Power all asked for significant sized increases this year and they're in various stages of process; those are contested cases."

Jenks said the Public Utility Commission's rate review process needs to change.  He doesn’t believe rates shouldn't increase in the winter when higher costs have a greater impact.

Nolan Moser, acting executive director of the Oregon Public Utility Commission, said price increases are due to inflation.

"The price for transformers, for example, at one stage tripled, quadrupled, and this is basic infrastructure that utilities need to operate."

Other factors going into cost increases include more expensive wholesale power, extreme weather and hardening the grid against wildfires.  Moser said the cost of wildfire legal settlements are not passed along to customers.

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