The Northwest Power Pool's Emergency Response Team notified us last week that we faced an insufficient power supply and potential power disruptions - the lack of availability at any price. Our efforts this week in calling for conservation and additional power generation were directed simply at keeping the lights on. I am pleased that Washingtonians responded to my call to conserve, and that we made it through the week without involuntary power disruptions. But we will need to be vigilant throughout the winter. The second issue is affordability - the high cost of power.
Energy prices are at unprecedented levels.
The Pacific Northwest has been hurt badly in recent months by unprecedented price increases in the wholesale power market. Several critical businesses have curtailed operations and laid off hundreds of workers, while others face permanent closure. Public agencies, schools and universities are faced with the possibility of curtailing programs to meet unexpected energy costs. And utility ratepayers are now facing surcharges as high as 100 percent of their monthly retail power bills. This situation is untenable.