[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 42 (Thursday, March 13, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRESSWOMAN CELEBRATES AVISTA'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY

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                      HON. CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 2014

  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
Avista Corporation of Spokane, Washington as it celebrates its 125th 
anniversary. I take great pride in representing this company which has 
diligently sought to capture the character of Eastern Washington and 
the entire Pacific Northwest.
  Avista is a company that seeks to reflect the community in which it 
does business. In fact, during its 125 years, Avista has not only been 
enriched by the people and landscape that surround it but it has 
enriched all of Eastern Washington. In 1889, faced with increasing 
demand for electricity in the booming young city of Spokane Falls, 
Washington, trustees of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company sought 
funding from their backers in New York to build a power station on the 
Spokane Falls. Their request was denied because, as they were told, 
water power held little or no value. Not so easily dissuaded, ten 
stakeholders founded The Washington Water Power Company, now known as 
Avista, who opted to proceed with the project themselves. Since The 
Washington Water Power Company forged ahead in proving the value of 
what today we called ``hydropower'', hydropower has become the most 
prominent form of electricity generation in Washington State. The 
decision of few investors in Spokane began a long tradition of a 
company and community joining forces to advance the economy, care for 
the Eastern Washington's natural resources, and promote a lifestyle 
that we enjoin in the Pacific Northwest. Avista has repeatedly been 
honored for its environmental stewardship. The company also contributes 
more than $1 million per year to non-profit organizations throughout 
its service territory, and it has been named in the top 25 in the Puget 
Sound Business Journal's list of top Washington philanthropists for the 
past four years.
  In its early years, The Washington Water Power Company built six 
hydroelectric facilities, contributing to an era of growth for the 
company. Fast forward 125 years, hydropower continues to bring 
countless opportunities to the Pacific Northwest with Washington State 
getting over 70% of its power from this clean and renewable energy 
source. Seeking to further diversify and expand, in 1983, Avista's 
Kettle Falls generating station commenced operation as the first 
utility-owned electric generating station of its kind in the United 
States constructed for the sole purpose of producing electricity from 
wood waste, or biomass. The award-winning plant, combined with Avista's 
legacy hydroelectric power projects, has contributed to Avista being 
listed among the greenest investor-owned utilities in the country. That 
facility produces up to 52 megawatts of electricity--enough to power 
46,000 homes. Supporting over 100 jobs in the region where I grew-up, 
the Kettle Falls is generating station also greatly contributes to the 
economy in Northeastern Washington and continues to add to a vibrant 
community.
  Avista currently serves their 680,000 customers in a service 
territory of more than 30,000 square miles with a mix of hydro, natural 
gas, wind, biomass, and coal generation delivered over 2,200 miles of 
transmission line, 18,000 miles of distribution line, and 7,600 miles 
of natural gas distribution mains. While a Spokane-based company, 
Avista's electric and natural gas services support community's in 
Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and, soon, we expect, Alaska.
  I am also proud of the Avista's close ties with the Spokane community 
which have remained steadfast for the last 125 years. Avista is the 
City of Spokane's eighth largest non-government employer, employing 
more than 1,600 people. So today, I recognize Avista for achieving this 
historic 125-year milestone and applaud the entire community for the 
contributions they have made to Eastern Washington throughout the 
years.

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