39 



Mr. DeFazio. I thank the gentleman. 



I would like to recognize that Elizabeth Furse from Oregon, who 

 is not a member of the committee but has closely followed BPA is- 

 sues, and is obviously, as are all of us in the Northwest, vitally con- 

 cerned with proposals, both regarding the debt refinancing and the 

 corporate status, and has been playing a very active role. I would 

 like to recognize Elizabeth. 



She has a statement she wishes to enter into the record. I do 

 that without objection. Unless she has oral remarks, I will go on 

 to the next witness. 



STATEMENT OF HON. ELIZABETH FURSE, A REPRESENTATIVE 

 IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF OREGON 



Ms. FuRSE. Mr. Chairman, my real interest is to make sure that 

 the responsibility for salmon restoration is addressed, and those 

 are in my remarks. 



Thank you. 



[Prepared statement of Ms. Furse follows:] 



Statement of Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse 



Thank you for the opportunity to make a statement before the task force. I sup- 

 port your efforts to explore ways to make the Bonneville Power Administration more 

 efficient and financially seciire. The BPA is an integral part of the region's economy 

 and I appreciate the task force's attention to these issues. They have merit and war- 

 rant thorough investigation. 



I feel strongly, however, that any discussion of BPA restructuring and debt buyout 

 needs also to address concerns over BPA's accountability regarding its fish and wild- 

 life program. Of particular concern to me is the BPA's responsibility for helping to 

 restore the fast-diminishing salmon stocks of the Columbia River basin. 



It is my understanding from conversations with delegation members and BPA per- 

 sonnel that BPA's current legal obligations under the National Environmental Po- 

 lice Act, Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws will not in any way 

 be altered by tiie granting of government corporation status. Similarly, it is my un- 

 derstanding that if the BPA's fish and wildlife restoration efforts are transferred to 

 another agency for implementation, BPA will still bear the full obUgation for the 

 success and completion of these activities. Please let me know if I am in error in 

 my understanding. 



Thank you. Congressman DeFazio, for the opportunity to speak. I look forward 

 to working with you and the rest of the task force on these issues in the future. 



Mr. DeFazio. We will then go on to Ralph Cavanagh. 



STATEMENT OF RALPH CAVANAGH 



Mr. Cavanagh. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



That is certainly one of my interests as well. I have since 1979 

 headed the Northwest Energy Program of the Natural Resources 

 Defense Council representing our 8,000 regional members. I am 

 also a member of the Secretary of Energy's advisory board. 



I will address the two questions you have posed to us, Mr. Chair- 

 man, and then just add a concluding thought that really looks back 

 over the whole work of this task force. 



The first question is really, I think, about long-term solutions to 

 the perennial federal efforts to raise BPA's rates which Bill Drum- 

 mond spoke about a moment ago. We all know one of the reasons 

 Congress is doing that is to get more money out of the Northwest. 

 But I think it is important to remember that there is a policy jus- 

 tification for doing it. It lies in the claim that BPA's rates send an 



