Energy & Telecommunications

I-937 Moves Forward

On July 6, the "Yes! On 937" campaign turned in 330,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office in time to qualify for the November 7 statewide general election. The initiative will require the state’s largest electric utilities to acquire 15 percent of their electricity supply from new renewable energy resources or energy conservation measures by the year 2020. The utilities that are expected to be affected by this initiative are: ten public utility districts, three investor-owned utilities, two cooperatives, and two municipal utilities (Seattle and Tacoma).

Utilities and interest groups are divided about their support for this measure. For example, the Washington Public Utility Districts Association, the League of Women Voters and Seattle’s Mayor Greg Nickels are supporting the initiative, while two investor-owned utilities are officially neutral. Some utilities are opposed, as well as some interest groups like the Washington Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, the industrial customer’s trade group, and Washington businesses.

New BPA Rates Announced

Monday, July 17, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) announced its new wholesale rate schedule for 2007. Utilities were pleased to learn that BPA is recommending a decrease of approximately 3%, down from existing rates in 2006. This will represent a rate decrease for a fourth year in a row, and is about 10% less than the draft rate proposed eight months ago. The final rate will be announced in September and will go into effect October 1, 2006. Each utility will adjust its retail rates based on many utility-specific factors, so the impact on local retail rates will vary from utility to utility.

Draft Legislation Regarding Scrap Metal

This week, a draft piece of legislation was released from the Code Reviser that proposes to revise the "Pawnbrokers and Second-Hand Dealers" statutes to address issues associated with the theft of property from utilities and government agencies. The proposed bill would require scrap metal dealers to fall under the same rules as pawn brokers and second-hand dealers, when it comes to purchasing metal items. Its objective is to discourage the use of pawnbrokers/second-hand dealers from purchasing stolen metal items. The draft endeavors to accomplish this goal through several mechanisms such as:

• If a pawnbroker or second-hand dealer has good cause to believe that any property presented to him or her for purchase or consignment has been previously lost or stolen, the pawnbroker or second-hand dealer shall promptly report that fact to the applicable chief of police or the county's chief law enforcement officer, together with the name of the owner, if known, the name of the person from whom it was received, and the date it was received.
• If a person refuses to sign the notice required, or cannot produce express written authorization to sell or consign utility or municipal property, then a pawnbroker or second-hand dealer shall presume the property has been stolen. The pawnbroker or second-hand dealer shall promptly report that fact to the applicable chief of police or the county's chief law enforcement officer, together with the name of the owner, if known, the name of the person who possessed the property, and the date the property was received.
• Property that has come into the possession of a second-hand dealer from abandonment must be retained by the second-hand dealer, unless the abandoned property is nonmetal junk, in which case the second-hand dealer may dispose of the property as he or she deems appropriate.
• If the second-hand dealer has good cause to believe that any abandoned property in his or her possession has been previously lost or stolen, the second-hand dealer shall promptly report that fact to the applicable chief of police or the county's chief law enforcement officer.

A copy of the draft can be found here. Should you have comments on this draft please contact Victoria Lincoln at victorial@awcnet.org or Sheri Sawyer at sheris@awcnet.org.

Federal Telecommunications Legislation

See article in the Federal Issues section.

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