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House, Senate Will Vote on Resolutions Next Week by Ellyn Ferguson Salem Statesman Journal - March 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Budget writers in the House and Senate spared the Bonneville Power Administration when they wrote their respective budget blueprints this week.

Next week, the full House and Senate are expected to vote on the budget resolutions before leaving for a two-week spring recess.

Budget writers ignored the Bush administration's call to require the federal energy agency to charge market rates for its power. Instead, the chairmen listened to angry Northwest lawmakers who said such a move would cost the region thousands of jobs.

Sens. Larry Craig, R-Idaho; Gordon Smith, R-Ore.; and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., were confident that Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg would not include provisions directing the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to move ahead with the proposal.

On Thursday night, Wyden announced that he and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, had gotten language into the Senate resolution that flatly states the U.S. government will not receive more revenue from Bonneville and the other federal power marketers through market-based electricity rates.

On the House side, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, worked to make sure the House Budget Committee also killed the proposal.