Document text
--> --> Tribes welcome hydro bill passage BEND (AP) - The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation are welcoming a bill passed by the U.S. House that authorizes them to buy a portion of the Pelton Hydroelectric Project. "This will secure a revenue base for the tribes that's fairly stable for the next 25 to 30 years," said Jim Manion, general manager of Warm Springs Power Enterprises. The bill, passed Tuesday and sponsored by Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, is next scheduled to go to the Senate. Projected revenues from the project will be $15 million to $25 million annually, beginning in 2002, Manion said. Total annual revenue generated by the dams is about $26.8 million. The dams provide about 20 percent of the utility's generating capacity for users in the Portland metro area. The tribes will pay about $25 million for about a third of the Pelton and Round Butte dams, Manion said. Walden wrote the legislation in consultation with the tribes, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and PGE. The bill stems from an April 12, 2000 agreement among the tribes, PGE and the Department of the Interior, which acted as the tribes' trustee. That agreement will also serve to alleviate the loss of tax revenue the county will suffer when the tribes assume ownership of their portion of the project at the end of this year. In 20 years, the tribes have the option to increase their share of the dams to 49.99 percent, Manion said. There is an additional option for the tribes to take controlling interest of 50.01 percent by 2037. The change in ownership will decrease the amount of property taxes PGE is required to pay Jefferson County, a development that will have a significant impact on county taxing districts such as the school and hospital, said Patsy Hurn, the Jefferson County assessor. The exact amount is not yet known. PGE and the tribes will pay Jefferson County several million dollars to compensate the county's loss in revenue. The dams represent 12 percent of the approximately $13 million in total taxes - or about $1.56 million - that Jefferson County collects each year, Hurn said. Hurn said the financial compensation agreement takes effect Jan. 1, 2002, and continues for 10 years or until PGE and the tribes pay the county as much as $4 million in additional payments. Tribal officials have said protecting Jefferson County's tax base is important because it will prevent any disruption in services provided by the county's taxing districts. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing