Settlement Discussions in MidAmerican Case

The MidAmerican case is down to the nitty gritty of settlement discussions. Is there enough creativity and flexibility among the applicants at MidAmerican and among the parties here in Oregon, to make a deal? Settlements have been reached among most parties for MidAmerican purchase of PacifiCorp holdings in Utah, California, and Idaho. We in Oregon are holding out for hard discussion of some of the issues we hold to be most important:

1) Will there be any kind of rate credit or assurance of sharing potential cost savings with customers? MidAmerican has argued that because this is an acquisition offer, not a merger offer, most of the usual costs savings would not apply. We understand this argument but continue to believe that some sign of good faith in rates is a strong component of a good deal.

2) Will Oregon maintain a fair amount of local control? There has been discussion about moving PacifiCorp headquarters to Utah. CUB would like to see those headquarters remain here in Oregon.

3) Global warming is here and it isn’t going to change course without serious action to reduce our levels of greenhouse gas emissions. MidAmerican and PacifiCorp have both historically produced the majority of their energy using coal. What kind of renewables plan and global warming plan are they willing to commit to?

The settlement discussions are continuing and may come to a close before the new year. Because current Pacific Power owner ScottishPower has expressed interest in selling the utility, it looks as though change of some sort is definitely coming to Oregon’s second largest electric utility company. CUB will continue to push for the best possible deal for PacifiCorp customers.

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