[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 18, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2801]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING NORTHERN WASCO COUNTY PUD AND PUBLIC POWER UTILITES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 18, 2009

  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the rich history 
of Oregon's People's Utility Districts, PUD, and the efforts of 
Northern Wasco County PUD, the lone PUD in Oregon's Second 
Congressional District. Last month, Northern Wasco County PUD joined 
Oregon's numerous Municipal Electrical Utilities and Rural Electrical 
Cooperatives to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Public Power Week and 
to recognize over seven decades of public power generated by the clean 
and renewable federal hydropower system in the Pacific Northwest. I 
commend Northern Wasco County PUD for their continued commitment to the 
utilization of clean renewable power in Wasco County, as well as their 
exemplary efforts in energy efficiency and conservation.
  On September 28, 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt stood on Oregon 
soil as he dedicated the newly constructed Bonneville Dam, which became 
one of the first in a series of dams to be installed along the Columbia 
River as part of the President's vision to improve economic 
opportunities, flood control and, more importantly, provide electricity 
to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. Since that day, public 
power utilities across Oregon, including Northern Wasco County PUD, 
have harnessed the renewable power of the region's hydroelectric dams 
to provide clean renewable electricity to Oregon's communities and 
deliver steady supplies of power to small and large businesses. By 
providing some of the lowest-cost power to businesses in the Nation, 
public power utilities play a major role in maintaining thousands of 
jobs throughout rural and urban Oregon.
  Besides delivering reliable hydropower, public power utilities and 
their ratepayers' across the West have invested a tremendous amount of 
financial resources in energy conservation and renewable energy 
projects. Since Congress passed the 1980 Pacific Northwest Electric 
Power Planning and Conservation Act, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and 
Montana have conserved a combined 3,700 average-megawatts of energy. 
This savings is equal to the annual combined energy needs of Idaho and 
western Montana, or the output of seven 500-megawatt coal-fired power 
plants. These conservation efforts have also resulted in a reduction of 
13.5 million tons of CO2 emissions and nearly $2 billion in 
consumer savings per year.
  Over the years, Northern Wasco County PUD customers have invested $27 
million in two hydroelectric projects, both of which allow for enhanced 
fish passage and an increased supply of renewable power. These projects 
include a five-megawatt generator located at The Dalles Dam and a 10-
megawatt generator at the McNary Dam. Both projects generate clean 
power with no emissions and enhance the survival of listed fish along 
the main stem of the Columbia River.
  In addition, Northern Wasco County PUD is developing a methane gas 
capture energy project in partnership with the The Dalles, Oregon at 
the city's wastewater treatment plant as well as a micro-hydroelectric 
generation installation on the city's water mainline. Furthermore, 
Northern Wasco County PUD is exploring a U.S. Department of Energy 
grant for potential geothermal generation in cooperation with a group 
of other northwest utilities. From my conversations with Northern Wasco 
County PUD officials, I know they are most proud of their commitment to 
providing their residential and industrial customers with adequate and 
predictable supplies of energy at affordable prices, especially in 
light of the difficult economic circumstances facing rural Oregon.
  I also know that the commitment of public power utilities to 
providing clean renewable energy options for customers is strong. In 
fact, many now offer their residential, commercial and industrial 
customers the option of purchasing up to 100 percent renewable 
electricity produced from resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, 
biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro.
  Madam Speaker, as the debate continues about how to best address 
climate change, energy independence, and our smarter energy future, it 
is imperative that entities providing public power in the Pacific 
Northwest, like Northern Wasco County PUD, receive credit for the work 
and investments they have already made in protecting our environment 
through the responsible use of the renewable energy hydropower system 
and through energy conservation. I commend them for these efforts.

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