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Show Business Group Hears UP&L Officials Speak Seventeen members of the Panguitch Pan-guitch business community attended at-tended a 7 a.m. Feb. 17 breakfast at the invitation of the Utah Power and Light Company. "The meeting," meet-ing," said City Manager Bruce Fullmer, "was to continue an ongoing effort to cause the city of Panguitch to change it's mind on pursuing a course to achieve a city-owned city-owned power system, and return to the status quo of the continuation of buying power from UP&L." Dale Probasco, UP&L's marketing strategy manager spoke of the aggressive economic development program Utah Power & Light Co. has embarked on. Utah Power's strength is directly tied to the economic health of it's customers and the communities it serves. Probasco said UP&L is sponsoring several target industry studies in its service areas. Six are planned for 1988 and eight more for 1989. Joining UP&L in these stepped-up activities are economic development experts from Pacific Corp, UP&L's proposed merger partner from Portland, Ore. UP&L has sponsored Economic Development seminars over the past two years. The course includes four seminar sessions for a total of 10 hours of class time. Presenters for the course are professionals in the economic field who are employed em-ployed in both the public and private pri-vate sector in Utah, Idaho or Wyoming. All have extensive experience ex-perience in working with smaller communities in planning for economic eco-nomic development. Probasco has indicated that UP&L's commitment is more than completing a study or course. UP&L is committed to work hand-in-hand with businesses and community com-munity leaders who want help in locating expertise, information, and other resources which will enable them to be more successful. Paul Barber, UP&L's Local Government Liaison Coordinator talked about the status of the merge between UP&L and PacifiCorp. The shareholders of both com- panies and the Wyoming Public Service Commission have given approval of the merger. The remaining approvals could be obtained ob-tained by mid-1988 and anticipated rate decreases would be from 5 to 10 percent over the next four years. An across-the-board two percent rate decrease will be sought within 60 days following the consummation of the merger. In addition, Utah Power & Light Co. has requested a rate decrease to pass on to customers the positive effects of recent tax law changes. Under this rate decrease, UP&L customers in Utah will see rates drop about one percent Barber also reviewed the outlook for communities looking at municipal munic-ipal ownership. The low-cost hydro power from government dams is nearly dried up. The municipalities who have been established for many years would not be willing to give up their least expensive power source to newcomers. New municipal munici-pal electric systems might have to purchase power from the higher cost Bonanza and IPP plants or build plants themselves at today's higher costs. New municipal utilities utili-ties would run the risk of buying power under short term surplus power contracts and then would have to find new power sources later when power may be less plentiful plen-tiful and much more costly. UP&L is also waiting for the summary judgment results on the federal lawsuit to obtain a portion of cheap power from government owned hydroelectric dams. If the judgment is in their favor, it could mean a 20 percent or more rate decrease de-crease for UP&L's residential and irrigation customers. Since UP&L serves 75 percent of the people in Utah, this would result in a more fair allocation of the government owned power. The company claims it is unfair that power is sold only to a select few, even though all taxpayers funded the construction of the federal dams. Jack Peck, Region Manager in UP&L's Telluride Region again stressed UP&L's commitment to be involved in community economic development activities as well as pontinuing to strive for lower electric elec-tric rates for all of its customers. Local businessmen attending the early morning breakfast were Panguitch Pan-guitch Mayor Jon Lee Torgerson, representing NAPA Co., Fullmer; John Floyd, Kaibab Industries; Carl Henrie, Kaibab Industries; Vaughn Heaton, H&R Hardware; Jim Whiteley, Rocky Mountain Services; Ser-vices; Jerold Judd, Garfield County School District Superintendent; Mr. and Mrs. Harvard Heaton, Sears Catalog Sales; Bruce Howard, Howard Construction Co.; Clark Howard, Howard Construction Co., Doug Jensen, AHA Trucking Co.; John Houston, Horizon Motel; Russell Bulkley, Little Indian Curios; Cu-rios; David Peterson, manager, Zion's First National Bank; and Mr. and Mrs. Duane Woods, Beaver Dam Lodge, Panguitch Lake. |