# SN-03 WPAG Data Response

**Request No.:** CR-WA-001

**Request:** Witnesses: Saleba and Piliaris

Exhibit: SN-03-E-WA-01, page 5, lines 9-11.

> Please provide any information available on programs to assist low
> income consumers with their electric bills. We would also be
> interested in what percentage of a WPAG utility budget go to provide
> low income assistance.

**Response:** We have not performed any analyses related to low-income
assistance programs among the WPAG member utilities, nor the percentage
of their respective budgets devoted to these programs. Pursuant to
section 1010.8(b) of the Procedures Governing BPA's Rate Hearings, "no
party shall be required to perform any new study or to run any analysis
or computer program." However, it is our understanding that most of the
municipal utilities and public utility districts within WPAG offer some
form of low-income assistance program.

April 29, 2003

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# SN-03 WPAG Data Response

**Request No.:** CR-WA-002

**Request:** Witnesses: Saleba and Piliaris

Exhibit: SN-03-E-WA-01, page 5, line 13.

> Please provide any information available that compares the
> unemployment rate in public utility districts with the unemployment on
> Indian reservations.

**Response:** We have not performed any analyses that compare the
unemployment rate in public utility districts with the unemployment on
Indian reservations. Pursuant to section 1010.8(b) of the Procedures
Governing BPA's Rate Hearings, "no party shall be required to perform
any new study or to run any analysis or computer program."

April 29, 2003

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# SN-03 WPAG Data Response

**Request No.:** CR-WA-003

**Request:** Witnesses: Saleba and Piliaris

Exhibit: SN-03-E-WA-01, page 17, line 21 through page 18, line 7.

> Please provide any documentation, analysis, or related information
> about whether 2001 actual funding is adequate to implement the
> biological opinions, the Council's fish and wildlife program, or BPA's
> tribal trust responsibilities.

**Response:** We did not recommend using 2001 actual funding levels for
these areas. Our recommendation was to use the BPA forecast of funding
set forth in the BPA initial proposal. Further, our proposal contains
mechanisms for addressing funding needs in excess of the limits proposed
in the GRSPs.

We do not have any documentation, analysis, or related information about
whether 2001 actual funding is adequate to implement the biological
opinions, the Council's fish and wildlife program, or BPA's tribal trust
responsibilities. Pursuant to section 1010.8(b) of the Procedures
Governing BPA's Rate Hearings, "no party shall be required to perform
any new study or to run any analysis or computer program."

April 29, 2003

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# SN-03 WPAG Data Response

**Request No.:** CR-WA-004

**Request:** Witnesses: Saleba and Piliaris

Exhibit: SN-03-E-WA-01, page 6, lines 14-15.

> The panel asserts that there will be decreased retail loads due to
> customer price response. Please provide any analyses or other
> documentation that quantifies the price-induced load response expected
> to occur for the utilities represented by WPAG.

**Response:** Please see CR-WA-004A. This analysis was performed for the
WPAG utilities to illustrate the potential load response associated with
changes in electricity prices.

April 29, 2003

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# SN-03 WPAG Data Response

**Request No.:** CR-WA-005

**Request:** Witnesses: Saleba and Piliaris

Exhibit: SN-03-E-WA-01, page 6, lines 15-17.

> Please provide analyses or documentation quantifying the amounts that
> WPAG utilities will have to raise their retail rates, including
> consideration of revenues resulting from reselling BPA power by block
> or slice utilities.

**Response:** We do not have any analyses or documentation quantifying
the amounts that WPAG utilities will have to raise their retail rates,
including consideration of revenues resulting from reselling BPA power
by slice utilities (resale of block is prohibited). Pursuant to section
1010.8(b) of the Procedures Governing BPA's Rate Hearings, "no party
shall be required to perform any new study or to run any analysis or
computer program."

The WPAG utilities have already incurred a 50% increase to the rate
charged for power supply from BPA. As a consequence, their ability to
absorb another increase without a retail rate adjustment is all but
depleted. Any additional rate increase from BPA is almost assured of
being passed through the retail customers of WPAG utilities in its
entirety. Were they passed onto retail customers, the results contained
in CR-WA-004A suggest that the loads of WPAG utilities would drop in
response to the rate increases proposed by BPA. The result would be that
retail rates would need to increase to cover not only the higher cost of
wholesale power purchased from BPA, but also the fixed and overhead cost
of their respective utilities' distribution operations no longer covered
by loads taken off of their systems.

April 29, 2003

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# SN-03 WPAG Data Response

**Request No.:** CR-WA-006

**Request:** Witnesses: Saleba and Piliaris

Exhibit: SN-03-E-WA-01A, Table B

> What is the basis for the \$154 million amount for FY 2003 for fish
> and wildlife and why does that amount differ from the amounts
> identified for subsequent fiscal years?

**Response:** The basis for the \$154 million figure in FY 2003 is BPA's
Initial Proposal errata SN-03-E-BPA-02 (E3_Table3.1). This amount
differs from amounts identified in subsequent fiscal years due to the
\$15 million identified in line 79 of Table 3.1 as "F&W High Priority
Action Projects."

April 29, 2003

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# SN-03 WPAG Data Response

**Request No.:** CR-WA-007

**Request:** Witnesses: Saleba and Piliaris

Exhibit: SN-03-E-WA-01A, Table B

> Do the amounts identified for fish and wildlife include:
>
> BPA's direct expenditure of its funds for fish and wildlife projects
> subject to 4(h)(10)(A-D) of the Northwest Power Act?
>
> BPA's annual reimbursement of other federal agencies' fish and
> wildlife O&M costs?
>
> BPA's annual repayment of other federal agencies' fish and wildlife
> capital costs?
>
> BPA's debt service on its own capital fish and wildlife costs?

**Response:** We have not performed any analysis to determine whether
the amounts identified in Table B of SN-03-E-WA-01A include (a) BPA's
direct expenditure of its funds for fish and wildlife projects subject
to 4(h)(10)(A-D) of the Northwest Power Act, (b) BPA's annual
reimbursement of other federal agencies' fish and wildlife O&M costs,
(c) BPA's annual repayment of other federal agencies' fish and wildlife
capital costs, of (d) BPA's debt service on its own capital fish and
wildlife costs. Pursuant to section 1010.8(b) of the Procedures
Governing BPA's Rate Hearings, "no party shall be required to perform
any new study or to run any analysis or computer program."

April 29, 2003

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