Show The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday April 18 2004 — A13 power contracts recommended for West Long-ter-m PORTLAND Ore(AP) — The Northwest Power and Conservation Council last Thursday recommended the Bonneville Power Administracontion return to long-tertracts to help stabilize regional energy prices that skyrocketed during the Enron scandal and the California deregulation failure three years ago Bonneville has suffered periods of financial instability ever since Congress deregulated the utility industry in the early 1990s and a move to shorter terms for electricity m contracts has made things worse a council report said In a draft proposal released 1 counThursday the four-stat- e cil recommended the BPA return to contracts with its main customers in st 20-ye- ar order to ensure lower rates Most of the current con: tracts are contracts that expire in 201 f but include some contracts with aluminum companies traditionally heavy users of elec- m 10-ye- ar tricity The council also recom- mended different rates for the of economic restrictions Zoning Continued from A1 “I don’t think it would be feasible to put a 200-un- it storage facility out here in Avon” he said serving their land Planning Commission Chairman Lee Nelson who owns a dairy operation in Avon said lie believes the zoning ordinance should give farmers as much flexibility as possible “I like property rights” he said “Farmers pay taxes on the land their whole lives they've worked it it's sacred to them and believe it or not land appreciates in value” Nelson also said he doubts that allowing ihe proposed conditional uses in the agri- cultural zone will lead to urban sprawl because County Attorney George Daines whose office is charged with enforcing zoning regulations said he believes the key is simply getting a new ordinance in place He said the current zoning ordinance is a “patchwork quilt” — first enacted in 1970 but partially revised in recent years — containing definitions that don't match Daines said officials could always come back and tweak the ordinance after it's passed Eventually he would like to see the agricultural zone divided into three or four subcategories that reflect future nt HAIR Daines said he does not believe the new ordinance as' rights Farmers pay taxes on the land their whole lives they’ve worked it sacred to them and believe it or pot land appreci- - ates in value” goals for specific areas “I think if you could focus on tracts you may get more agreement between the two groups” he said “Both patties want the same result We’re arguing about how to get to CUTS CUTS HAIR COLOR MenWofflen Kids over 9 Kids ago 9 Starting Ah' npsh"ih $5000 $4000 CHILDRENS andundor $000 $2000 it's currently written would significantly loosen existing restrictions in the agricultural zone but others disagreed “I compared the proposed draft with the old rode and was surprised to see the significant increase in allowed uses particularly in the agricultural zone” Logan city Director of Community Development Jay Nielson wrote in a recent letter to Daines “As I compare this code with the scores that I have worked with in the past it appears that the agricultural like property it’s Oregon Idaho Montana and Washington Ed Mosey it Bonneville spokesman said the council recommendations are similar to a policy statement the BPA is drafting for public comment this summer “What we're trying to do is preserve the value of the Columbia River system" Mosey said The power council recommendations are open for public comment until April 24 nomic times However she said they would already have the opportunity to supplement their incomes under the Home Occupation section of the ordinance “Then we don't have to add such a range of uses” she said On the bright side Hall noted that in contrast with current zoning regulations the new ordinance at least states the purpose of the agriculture zone — protecting farmland ‘They've recognized that ag should be the main use" she said “Then they've gone and added all these other uses that are in direct conflict" CACHE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMUNITY BOND PRESENTATIONS The Cache County School District Board of Education is proposing a'bond election for May 8 2004 The following meetings will help our patrons understand the issue of growth and how it has impacted the need for new facilities land purchase arid facility upgrades PERMS IndudM Swnpoo cutiifyte- - SptcM April Spring CreekProvidenceOSpring Thursday April 22 7:00 pm Willow ValleyWellsvilleeWillow Valley Middle School Tuesday April 27 7:00 pm Sky View High School (team room) Mountain Crest High School (auditorium) pm ssaasBEsmsa J"'1' llM: Creek Middle Tuesday April 20 7:00 pm Wednesday April 28 7:00 Mooday8aturtay8am - 6pm Downtown Logan regional eneigy needs with fish and wildlife conservation It has two members each from i Ping Matr pair JHajestjr 118 North Main zone is a new enterprise zone rather than a zone to promote and preserve agriculture” ' In addition to higher taxes Nielson said the proposed conditional uses would require more planning and technical staff to handle applications “A more controlled approach would be to significantly reduce the uses that are allowed by condition of approval" he wrote Cindy Hall economic development director for BRAG said she believes everyone is sympathetic to the plight of farmers who are struggling through tough eco that result” £6 “I open market during the crisis sending wholesale energy prices soaring The council recommended new federal rules to allow ' Bonneville to negotiate longterm contracts rather than resorting to changes in the Northwest Power Act enacted by Congress in 1980 “I think it would be disas- -' trous for us to march off and engage in legislative changes" said Jim Kempton a council member from Idaho The council was created by the 1980s act to help balance higher rates to meet the increased demand but still qualify for some of the cheaper federal hydropower The proposal is intended to shift the burdcii of providing extra power away from Bonneville when shortages occur During the Western energy crisis in 2001 drought the failure of California deregulation and the Enron bankruptcy combined with unexpected high demand for electricity and lack of new generating capacity to force Bonneville to buy extra power on the relatively cheap hydropower produced at the 3 federal dams in the Bonneville system and the higher-copower from newer generating ' sources including natural gas turbines “The council acknowledges conthat both new long-tertracts and a revised pricing structure will be necessary” the proposal said Utilities not expecting much growth in their customer base would benefit from the lower rates while utilities expecting growth would have to rely on NORTH LOGAN STORE ONLY! 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