resources. The Council was also charged with developing a program 

 to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife populations af- 

 fected by the hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River system, 



Toda3^s hearing is a springboard to the real work of this task 

 force. Over the course of the next six months, we will take a long 

 and detailed look at how well Bonneville is meeting those expecta- 

 tions, the ones that Congress had when it passed the Northwest 

 Power Act. We will consider ways we can restructure the BPA to 

 enable it to better meet the extraordinary challenges it will face in 

 its next 50 years. 



The Northwest's failed experiment in nuclear power led to the 

 passage of the Northwest Power Act. It also led to my first involve- 

 ment in regional energy issues. In the early 1980s, I sued over the 

 ability of the Washin^on Public Power Supply System, or WPPSS, 

 to hold the ratepayers of Springfield, Oregon, liable for the costs of 

 two of its five proposed nuclear power plants. 



As it happened, only one of the WPPSS plants was ever com- 

 pleted. Two are in mothballs, and the region's ratepayers have 

 been paying for that boondoggle ever since. 



By the BPA's estimate, between 15 and 25 percent of the average 

 residential ratepayer's bill is eaten up by BPA's liability for two un- 

 finished WPPSS plants and one that is limping along, at best. At 

 least 25 percent of the agency's budget goes toward debt service, 

 operations, and mothballing costs of the WPPSS plants. 



While we labor under the burden of WPPSS, an even larger crisis 

 looms. Threatened and endangered Snake River salmon runs and 

 the decline of other Columbia River stocks, could lead to a regional 

 nightmare that would make the spotted owl look like a Sunday pic- 

 nic. It is imperative that the BPA and all other users of the Colum- 

 bia River system take responsible actions now — today — consistent, 

 long-term, scientifically supportable actions to avert that potential 

 crisis. 



I have deep-seated concerns about the BPA's long-term prospects. 

 We need a new and more competitive Bonneville, but one that con- 

 tinues to maintain its leadership in energy efficiency and environ- 

 mental protection. These are concerns for the longer term. How- 

 ever, the task force cannot ignore the fact that decisions will be 

 made this year that could have profound effects on BPA's ability 

 to meet its long-term mandates. 



I am disturbed that many of these decisions are being made in 

 closed-door settlement discussions between Bonneville and a select 

 group of its utility and industrial customers. BPA certainly has a 

 responsibility to its customers, but it also has a broader respon- 

 sibility to the region at large, as well as the United States Con- 

 gress. And Congress — in the form of this task force, under the ju- 

 risdiction of this committee — intends to play a significant role in 

 reshaping Bonneville for the future. 



I share many of the concerns expressed by Bonneville's utility 

 and industrial customers. Bonneville is too big, and it is too ineffi- 

 cient. It should look more like a business and less like a bloated 

 bureaucracy. And, in my judgment, a more efficient BPA can not 

 only deliver cost-effective conservation and reliable low-cost power 

 but can better satisfy its broader social and environmental respon- 

 sibilities. 



