July 2004

The Bonneville Project
Eight in a series on the history of Public Power in the Northwest

Passage of the Bonneville Project Act in 1937, creating the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), settled a three-year battle between public and private power advocates for control of the agency that would market federal hydropower. With public ownership of BPA now assured, the stage was then set for debate on several key issues: How should BPA rates be structured? What should the federal role be regarding transmission lines? How should the newly tapped energy be marketed?
     As the first BPA administrator, James Delmage “J.D.” Ross (photo above) wasted little time in addressing these questions. He established uniform ‘postage stamp‘ rates for BPA and initiated an aggressive transmission line construction program, realizing, as Federal Power Commissioner Charles Ross wrote years later, that” it is the parties who control the transmission lines, the arteries of industry, that control the destiny of millions of ratepayers of this nation,” a truism that would have reverberations 60 years later when federal regulators began the competitive era by opening up transmission access.
     The Bonneville Project Act specifically reserved half the agency’s power for public power customers and allowed them the time to organize. Ross encouraged formation of new PUDs and sought industrial customers to provide a revenue base while the publics were being formed.
     Two events at the turn of the decade, the sudden death of J.D. Ross and the outbreak of World War II, helped change the nature of BPA from a promoter of public power to a marketing and planning agency serving diversified interests. Ross’ successor, Dr. Paul Jerome Raver, was less active in efforts to encourage public power. More importantly, the war gave birth to a defense industry requiring large amounts of electricity. While most of the country was short of power, the Northwest had a surplus.

Next: BPA during WWII and Afterwards
Source: Public Power Chronicle, Public Power Council 2002

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Successful Salmon Program Ending

I n 2000, Salem Electric entered into an agreement with For The Sake of the Salmon (FSOS) to help with a program that improves local salmon habitat. Several Salem Electric customers participated in the salmon-friendly donation program. Thanks to their generosity, the program has provided funding over the past four years to projects that have improved salmon habitat in the Salem area and have taught students to be good stewards of the streamside environment. Here is a list of the projects that have received support from your contributions:

Baskett Slough Creek-Bessett Property Wetlands Restoration Project

This project returned nearly 60 acres of unproductive farmland near Highways 99 and 18 to their natural wetland state. A dike was removed from the property and Baskett Slough Creek now has room to roam and recede, creating pools rich in bugs and other nutrients for salmon smolts, birds and other wildlife. The creek flows into Rickreall Creek which is home to winter steelhead and provides rearing habitat for juvenile spring Chinook.

Mad Creek Culvert Replacement

Winter steelhead in Mad Creek can now reach more than a mile of beautiful spawning habitat that was blocked until two years ago. The project replaced two side-by-side undersized culverts with a bridge in the summer of 2002. The culverts had been too high for most salmon to jump through. Mad Creek is a tributary of the North Santiam River, which provides Salem’s drinking water.

Opal Creek Road to Restoration: Native Plants Project This project is scheduled to finish up early this summer. It will improve areas within, and adjacent to, the Opal Creek area that have been increasingly impacted by Scotch broom, a noxious plant that takes over natural areas and degrades habitat. The area is home to threatened Chinook and steelhead. The money will also help replace the invasive Scotch broom with native plants in sections next to a stream that feeds into the Little North Santiam River, which provides about a fifth of Salem’s drinking water.      The Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Recreation Area is the largest contiguous area of intact low elevation old growth forest that remains in Oregon. With its towering groves of 500 to 1,000 year-old trees, Opal Creek’s ancient rainforest is a remnant of the forests that once blanketed the Pacific Northwest.

Water Monitoring Equipment for Students at North Salem High School

The Salmon-Friendly program is helping students at North Salem High School become better stewards of our local streams. The program helped purchase portable water quality monitoring equipment that is being used to gather water quality data for various locations in the Salem area. Not only is the students’ data helping with completion of an area-wide watershed assessment, it also educates students about water quality issues and the importance of keeping water clean.

Judson Middle School Restoration Project

This educational and restoration project took place on Pringle Creek near Judson Middle School. The creek has historically been home to a run of native salmon and steelhead, but urbanization has harmed the creek’s fish. In addition, invasive plant species have taken over areas where native trees and shrubs should be growing and creating healthy fish habitat. Students involved in the project mapped the area, removed invasive plants, and replaced them with vegetation that will do a better job of holding the soil and shading the creek.
     The Salmon-Friendly Program ended as of February 24, 2004. For the Sake of the Salmon, which has been Salem Electric’s partner in the program, will be closing its doors due to funding challenges beyond the organization’s control.
     Thank you for your contributions during the past four years. You have helped make a difference for local salmon and drinking water.

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AARP Driver's Safety Program

The American Association of Retired Persons Driver’s Safety Program is a two-day, eight-hour course (4 hours each day) of classroom instruction that refines existing driving skills and develops safe, defensive driving techniques for persons 55 and older. AARP provides trained volunteer instructors.

Three courses will be held at Salem Electric, 633 Seventh Street NW. The two-day courses will be as follows, with registrations being accepted starting Wednesday, August 11, 2004.

The cost is $10 per person, which will be collected on the last day of each course.
     For registration and information, call Helen Findley or Debbie Addison at Salem Electric, starting Wednesday, August 11 at 503-362-3601. Participants are requested to park along the street, leaving Salem Electric’s visitor, customer and employee parking available for normal business use. Participants should enter through the board room (gate), to the right of the main entrance in front of the building.

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	Jordan Bletscher	Washington University	Engineering
	Daniel Engel	Letourneau University	Electrical Engineering
	Joni Fitzgerald	Western Oregon University	Biology
	Anne Jacobson	Brigham Young University	Journalism
	M. Thomas James	Stanford University	Mechanical Engineering
	Brett Karnes	Oregon State University	Civil Engineering
	Sammy Ou	Linfield College	Accounting
	Marilynn Russell	Portland State University	Education
	Anna Stumbo	Westmont College	Pre-Med
	Sarah Wunsch	Azusa Pacific University	Liberal Arts

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The meter on your home or business accurately measures the amount of electricity you use. Our meter readers read your meter each month using a hand-held meter reading device. This device, a computer, compares previous meter readings in the field when the data is entered. However, none of this technology has any value without your help.

• Keep your trees and shrubs trimmed away from your meter.
• Restrain your dog on meter reading day. Contact our office for the schedule.
• Arrange to unlock any gates that enclose your meter on meter reading day.
• Keep the walkways leading to your meter clear and unobstructed.
• Meters must be installed on the exterior of your home or business unless it’s a special situation.

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