Executive Director Bob Jenks Shares…Why CUB Matters

When I think about Why CUB Matters…I can’t help but think about my involvement in the grassroots initiative process that put the Citizens’ Utility Board on the ballot in 1984. I managed the campaign in Jackson County and I still remember the passion and tenacity of the volunteers who really believed that the work of this new CUB – taking their voices to the regulators and legislators – would protect against unreasonable utility rate hikes and foolish investment. And it worked. CUB was established by that vote in November, 1984.

I am proud to say that today; 33 years later, the trust of those passionate activists was not in vain. Since 1984 our work has kept energy and telecom utilities on their toes, while saving customers more than $8.5 billion. We have pushed the utilities and challenged the regulators to consistently choose options that are least cost and least risk to consumers.

Since 1991, when I came on as Executive Director, we have powerfully impacted policy and legislation that has made Oregon’s utility industry better for consumers. We insisted on safeguards that kept PGE in local hands when Enron imploded, yet we also protected consumers from the costs associated with PGE’s closure of Trojan. We were instrumental in the establishment of the Energy Trust of Oregon, along with programs that help households and organizations become more energy efficient, and offers help to low-income families. We negotiated deftly to establish the first Renewable Portfolio Standard at 25 percent and continued that legacy last year when we helped to pass SB 1547, which increased renewables to 50 percent by 2040 and gets Oregon off coal-fired energy by 2035.

Quite frankly there are so many ways CUB has impacted costs, regulatory decisions, and legislative actions that I would have to write dozens of blogs to tell all the stories. (Actually, along with my staff of Super S/Heroes I guess we already have. Please check them out here.)

I know that this is the season of buying, with holidays around the corner and days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday; so won’t you join us in also making this a season of giving by joining CUB on #Giving Tuesday? When you become a member by giving a tax deductible donation of $5 or more, you increase CUB’s clout and add your voice to the thousands of Oregonians who believe that our utilities should be affordable, accessible, reliable, and clean.

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