Born in ’84: Citizens’ Utility Board a Transformer* for 30 Years!
Posted on August 26, 2014 by Samuel Pastrick
Tags, CUB Anniversary: 30 Years and Counting, History of CUB and General CUB News, Outreach and Events
The year 1984 brought us so many events, none of which turned out to be as dire as George Orwell predicted in his novel of the same name. What did happen that year was that Steve Jobs made light of an Orwellian future when, in front of millions of viewers, he introduced the original Macintosh computer “for the rest of us.” Also in 1984: Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA and Prince’s Purple Rain stormed the airwaves. Tetris swept the nation, transfixing arcade-goers and home-gamers alike. The now classic movies Ghostbusters and This Is Spinal Tap brought a nation to its knees with laughter. The first-ever TED Conference was also launched, inspiring a new generation of thinkers. And, last but certainly not least, on November 6th, Oregonians voted in droves to establish Citizens’ Utility Board of Oregon (CUB) – an independent and non-partisan nonprofit organization created by consumers and for consumers.
CUB was (and still is) organized around a simple premise: that the interests of the most powerful should never outweigh those of the least. For 30 years now, whenever utilities are before the Public Utility Commission, proposing new rate-hikes or expensive projects, CUB has been there – standing strong in the face of mounting pressures – to safeguard the interests of all Oregonians. In 1999, CUB lobbied hard in front of the State legislature in response to an Enron Corporation bid to deregulate the electricity market in Oregon. These efforts lead to the creation of the Energy Trust of Oregon. CUB also fought to ensure that when utilities don’t pay taxes, customers aren’t unfairly charged for them. (This practice was at one point overlooked, costing ratepayers almost a billion dollars!) Also, in January of this year, the Portland City Council appointed CUB as the residential rate-payer advocate for water, waste-water, and sewer-service customers.
The truth is that in 30 years of service on behalf of all Oregon rate-payers, CUB has saved both members and non-members alike a whopping $5.9 billion. And, by the end of this year, we will have eclipsed the $6 billion mark! On the flip-side, over this same period, CUB members have contributed an incredible total of $3.5 million. This means CUB has saved you (and other Oregon rate-payers) $1,700 for every $1 contributed. To put it another way: Your gift of $100 translates to $170,000 in rate-payer savings. Even Steve Jobs would consider those pretty good odds “for the rest of us”.
And this is why, after 30 years of rate-cases, and tireless advocacy work on your behalf, we feel that it’s time to party like it’s nineteen eighty…four! We invite you to join us for a special 30th Anniversary Celebration, 30 Years of CUB: Born in 84’, on December 4th from 5:30 to 8:30 at the Eco Trust Building. Since both guys and girls “just want to have fun”*, we’ll celebrate our big 3-0 with a Born in 84’ trivia game, 80’s tribute band, local libations, and a catered reception with seasonal hors d’oeuvres. So save the date and watch for more details to come, letting you know when to don your favorite eighties attire and get a little, dare we say, Footloose*!
*Yep, Transformers, the movie Footloose, and Cyndi Lauper’s award winning music video all arrived on the scene in 1984, too!
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09/05/22 | 0 Comments | Born in ’84: Citizens’ Utility Board a Transformer* for 30 Years!