[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 95 (Friday, June 8, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2019

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                               speech of

                         HON. PETER A. DeFAZIO

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2018

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5895) making 
     appropriations for energy and water development and related 
     agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and 
     for other purposes:

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Chair, as the co-chair of the Northwest Energy 
Caucus, I was pleased to be a cosponsor of the Newhouse amendment.
  Included in President Trump's Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019 budget 
requests were proposals to sell off transmission assets of the Power 
Marketing Administrations, including the Bonneville Power 
Administration. Previous presidents, of both parties, have proposed the 
same. The theory behind selling the assets is the U.S. gets a one-time 
influx of cash with no harm to ratepayers.
  I recognize these proposals for what they are: budget gimmicks that 
will only serve to drive up energy costs for Oregon and other Northwest 
residents and businesses. It's important to note that BPA costs the 
federal government nothing; it is entirely funded by Pacific Northwest 
ratepayers. Any money BPA borrows from the U.S. treasury is repaid, 
with interest.
  By law, BPA is required to sell power at cost. No private company 
would buy BPA's assets unless it was assured it would make a profit, 
which would translate into higher electricity costs.
  Additionally, BPA serves millions of rural customers, and maintaining 
transmission infrastructure is costly. There is no guarantee that a 
private company would invest in less profitable lines that serve rural 
areas, harming rural communities. In fact, it could lead to serious 
neglect or complete abandonment of the lines.
  In May, President Trump thankfully listened to Northwest lawmakers 
and scrapped his FY19 proposal. This amendment would ensure that no 
funds could be spent to reconsider the idea

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