Governors Warn Of Blackouts, Urge Residents To Conserve January 5, 2001 By KOMO Staff

BONNEVILLE DAM - The governors of Washington and Oregon warned Friday that one cold snap or one failure at a power-generating facility could create sudden blackouts in both states.

Both governors warned that the region faces unpredictable, random blackouts in Seattle, Portland and other cities unless residents take steps immediately to cut back by turning off unneeded lights and appliances.

"This situation is untenable," Washington Gov. Gary Locke said at a news conference at Bonneville Dam, a key component in the Northwest's power network.

"This is a long-term situation that demands the cooperation of each and every citizen in the Northwest."

10 Percent Cuts Urged

Locke urged all homeowners, businesses and large power users to reduce usage by 10 percent.

Locke called it "an ambitious goal, but one that is reasonable."

He urged people to reduce home heating temperatures to 67 degrees when they're home and to 50 degrees when they're not.

Locke and Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber suggested a number of other practical ways to reduce electricity use, including making sure dishwashers and washing machines are fully loaded when they're running, using only one major appliance at a time, cutting back on hot water use, and using microwave ovens instead of electric stoves.

Locke also urged business owners to reduce consumption by turning off outdoor lighting and displays, and he will ask civic auditoriums and sports arenas to turn off lights when they're not in use.

Legislative Package

The governor also promised an energy package will be introduced in the next session of the Legislature, looking at conservation, tax incentives for large businesses that switch to self-generating energy and a list of conservation measures that could be taken at state facilities.

Locke blamed the power crunch on continued population growth in Oregon and Washington, a failed deregulation effort in California and the rapid growth of energy-intensive Internet operations.

The governor's package won't focus on energy-using Internet servers, of which four are planned in the Seattle area and that could use more power each year than all present Seattle City Light customers.

Locke says the problem of such servers will be addressed by the state Utilities and Transportation Commission.

Locke and Kitzhaber made the call for 10 percent energy conservation at a joint press conference at the Bonneville Dam in Skamania County. They also recorded a public service announcement urging people to conserve.

http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=8532

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), January 05, 2001