OCR Text |
Show . . . Municipal backers dominate Monday evening hearing The Utah Public Service Commission opened hearings locally Monday evening to hear public testimony pertinent to the application by Utah Power & Light Co. to purchase the south Utah holdings of CP National Nearly two dozen witnesses testified at the hearing held at Cedar High School. Most of those who testifies declared their opposition to the proposed sale, while four of the witnesses said they favored the UP&L plan During the Monday evening testimony, the Iron County Comission was the target or complaints that it voted contrary to the public will when the commissioners adopted a resolution favoring UP&L. Jack Sawyers, Cedar City mayor, said he was disturbed that the Iron County Commission would adopt a resolution infavor of UP&L, when Cedar City was a record as supporting a municipal system. The commissioners position does not agree with the majority of citizens they represent, Sawyers said. James Clark, Iron County Commission Com-mission Chairman, defended the position taken by the body. Clark said the straw vote taken by Cedar City was not a binding referendum and some question was raised in his mind as to whether people paying property taxes had determined the vote result, random selection of new voter registrations filed with the Iron County , Clerk and canvassed by the comm-ssioners comm-ssioners showed a high percentage of college students had registered for the election. Later, under cross-examination, cross-examination, Clark stated he did not intended to give the impression that he felt college students shouldn't have voted in the election ...Although he said he had no way of knowing which way the new voters had cast their ballots, and conceivably they could have voted in favor of an investor-owned utility, he said it was curious to him that such a high percentage of newly-registered voters just prior to the "straw vote" had been college students. Clark outlined several reasons he said citizens should support the Commissions decision. First, he claimed representatives of the Southwest South-west Utah Power Federation who met with the commission could not relate how much the cost of the system would be. He said CPN had recently repaired a transformer at the cost of $220,000. Could Cedar City expect to have the money for costly repairs, he asked. The county mill levy would have to be raised to compensate for loss of revenue received from taxes paid by a private utility, and finally, he asked where the Federation will get source of power," he said. Clark said he would like to see the ' people educatedwith all the facts and men have the issue presented on a county-wide ballot. "I'd like to see facts and figures. We have requested these, but have not received them. "It's unfair for someone to criticize elected officials about decisions until that person has walked in their mocasins," he said. Clark said his wife and family had been subjected to rude behavior persons per-sons calling his home to disagree with his position. He protested this type of action by his popponesnt. At one point during cross-examination cross-examination of Clark by assistant Attorney General James L. Barker, Barker said that a pre-filed statement by Ken Wilson, area manager of the Western Power Agency a division of the Department of energy, shows that "Bureau" power may be a viable alternative to the issue in southwestern Utah and asked if Clark might change his position if that were the case. Clark replied he might be inclined to change his opinion if he knew that to be the case. Barker said Wilson would be . testifying before the PSC during the middle of the week. According to a copy of Wilson's testimony, which Barker had, and which has been pre-filed with See INPUT on Page 3 councilwoman, was one of the few witnesses to speak for UP&L She said UP&L had been unfairly blamed forspending for-spending money by itself on a public relations campaign, and claimed the federation had asked for $20,000 from the municipalities for that purpose. "The citizens of Toquerville have voted three times in favor of UP&L ," she said. Dell Stout, Hurricane, pointed out the successes he said that town's municipal system had. "In a short time they were able to pay off the $235,000 debt for the system," Stout said, "And now revenue from the power system is paying saleries of the power staff, and half as the city staff as well." Hurricance has had an operating municipal system for about five years. Cedar City Attorney Orville Isom wondered why UP&L wanted the system, saying it "is all scattered out, and all the main cities in the area want, municipal power. I can't figure it out." At that time, Attorney General Robert Hansen made a surprise sworn statement. He said he felt it was important im-portant to clarify a misapprehension-that misapprehension-that the state had taken a position favor of a public system in the area. "This," he said, "is not true. It isn't my responsiblity as Attorney General to say what the law should be. My job is to provide the best counsel I can to the agencies involved in this hearings." Another proponent of the UP&L transfer, retired CPN employee Earl Hanson, said expencese saved by government -operated enterprises' were"Created," and not resulting from "natural laws," He also said he was "disgusted"; at the representation from the Attorney General's Office (Barker) "advocating government over private ownership." Gordon Stirling, Hurricane UP&L. "takeover"' would further establish "the dominance of the northern part of the state over the southern part, as it's been for the past 100 years," and sajd it was time for ""southern to decide what they're going to do .." nouncement that UP&L and CPN had signed a letter of intent and felt at the time CPN had been using the negotiations with the southwest Utah Power Federation to "jack up the price for UP&L." Millicent Carlson, Cedar City, and Lavanu Gubler, of Santa Clara, each questioned the validity of the UP&L petition, claiming UP&L employees gathered signatures for the petition by misleading the citizens with whom they talked. Phillip Simonsen, Washintoon, who is chairman of the power board there, said he protested the proposed sale because it is contrary to the public interest. Simonsen said it appaers UP&L is using the proposed sale to further their interests in southern Utah at the expense of their northern Utah customers. Prior to MX, UP& L said they did not want CPN because they would not gain a proper return on their investment, he asserted. Simonsen said he has repeatedly requested a report of the position of CPN profitablity, but CPN has ignored previous commission requests to send him figures. Hazel Granger, Cedar City, wife of the late Walter K. Granger, fomer U.S. Congressman from this area, said "When the people speak at elections, officials should take heed of the people's voice." Mrs. Granger told the PSC that Cedar City citizens had experienced a massive campaign sponsored by UP&L in their attempt to persuade citizens to support their position, yet for the second time in Cedar City, an election was held and the election carried in favor of municipal power. . She said, "Nowj why are we here? The people have spoken directly twice, this is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, If we'd look ine problem as a proDiem oi tne people, there is no question as to what should be done." Evelyn Stearns, Toquerville town Input Continued from page 1 the PSC, Wilson plans to testify that a new marketing plan for federal power is now being developed. The next public meeting on the subject will be Sept. 25 at 10 a.m. at the Hotel Utah in Salt Lake City. The final plan is scheduled for completion in January 1983. According to Wilson's testimony, . upon completion of the final marketing plan, allocation of the available resources will be made to each . preferecne customer (municipality). The study will aprove 4,563 megawattes of marketable hydro capacity which is scheduled to be on line during the 1990 2000 time frame, if it is found to be economically justified. Wilson said this capacity is in addition to exisi resources ol 1,520 megawatts within the western Salt Lake City area. Barker said WAPA is the marketing agent for federally-generated federally-generated power formerly marketed by the Bureau of Reclamation and known in this area as Colorado River Storage project power. Barker is representing the coalition of southern Utah mayors before the PSC during during thi week's hearings. Clinton Bowler, Enterprise, told the Public Service Commission that at first, the Iron County Commission had agreed to contriburte financial assistance to the Federation, but at a later meeting refused to help, after the " board members had given their per- sonal quarantees to " "'funding for the feasibility system. Commissioner Clark refuted the allegation and said he would provide a copy of the minutes of the commission meeting to Bowler. Vivain Little, Cedar City, said she had been appallled at the an- |