Norman D. Dicks: “I just want to say to the gentleman, the Oregon Public Utility Commission has ruled that, from the standpoint of the…”

“I just want to say to the gentleman, the Oregon Public Utility Commission has ruled that, from the standpoint of the rate-paying public, the settlement agreement is preferable to relicensing under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, known as FERC, as the agreement caps ratepayer cost at $200 million; whereas, fish passage costs, because these dams are old, could exceed $500 million, plus an additional $200 million for O&M. The amendment would force these costs on the rate-paying public without the benefit of accurate benefits and costs. Being from the Northwest, I want you to know that sometimes, and they are just studying this dam removal, but sometimes by taking out dams you can restore the original habitat and help the salmon recovery, as we are doing on the Elwha Dam project up in Washington State. The reason we did it: Because it was going to cost so much to fix up the dam, that it was actually cheaper to take them out and restore, and this became a major restoration project. So I wouldn't just assume that this is not a positive thing.”