Measure calls for authorizing the firms to pay off debt with ratepayer money.
Unexpected Stage 3 alert declared this morning. Activists denounced the measure as a bailout. Early this morning, power managers unexpectedly returned to a State 3 alert to get needed Northwest electricity. The measure is sure to be rewritten as it goes through the legislative process. It would also allow the utilities to pay down their debt with a portion of the amount their customers are charged.