the film forum library tutorial contact

Energy Emergency Eases by Kathy Day, Herald Writer The Herald of Everett, Wash., January 5, 2001

We likely have enough electricity to keep the lights burning in the Northwest this month, but that doesn't mean the energy crisis is over, officials said Thursday.

Following a morning teleconference among members of the Northwest Power Planning Council's emergency response team, the official word was that power resources and expected need are in balance, for now.

But a severe storm could change things in a heartbeat, officials said.

"We're so close to the margin that an extreme (cold) weather event will send us over the edge," said Ed Mosey, spokesman for the federal Bonneville Power Administration.

Don Badleyc, spokesman for the Northwest Power Pool that oversees the reliability of power generation in the area, said members reviewed the latest data on rainfall, weather forecasts, supply and generating capability, and decided "we don't have a deficit."

Noting that there is not a lot to be alarmed about, he also said, "There is not a lot to be comfortable about. ... At least now we're not on pins and needles."

Mosey said that although the electricity situation appears to be improving, officials "are still waiting with bated breath."

BPA supplies about 45 percent of the power to the Snohomish County PUD and other Northwest utilities.

With the warmer weather of the past week or so easing demand, the situation has improved slightly, Mosey said, adding, "But we're teetering on the brink."

Before Christmas, when a cold blast of Arctic air was anticipated, BPA officials increased the amount of water flowing through dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers to generate more power. That move cuts down on available water to aid salmon runs, so BPA officials are wary about the lack of rain and snowpack in the Rockies and Canada, which supply the rivers.

"Unless we get a lot of rain and snow in the next four to five weeks, we may have to push the rivers hard to meet our power needs, and that will hurt us for water later," Mosey said.

The situation is not just an environmental one but also an economic issue.

"To purchase power now to save water for later would be costly in the end," Mosey added.

That's one reason Mosey and Badley say they are pleased that Gov. Gary Locke and Oregon Gov. John Kizthaber plan to issue a strong plea today for continued conservation efforts.

"The governors are trying to keep us out of the high-priced (energy) markets," Badley said. "It all has to be paid for by someone. People use energy, and the companies buying it have to pay for it. Ultimately, the customer pays."

He said that preliminary reviews of how much energy was saved after an energy alert was issued in December showed the saving "was significant and was noticed."

Mosey said conservation is important "regardless of the time of day. The less energy we use, the more water stays in the reservoirs."

Kelly Redmond, a climatologist with the Western Regional Climate Center, said Thursday that snowpacks range from about 50 percent to slightly more than 80 percent of average in the critical areas. "Almost nobody is at 100 percent," he said.

While he would not be specific about the weather ahead, he said some signs exist that La Nina, which generally brings colder and wetter weather to the Northwest, has not made the full exit from the area that many had thought.

"We're still a little in that mode," he said. "To the extent that's a factor, we might expect wetter than usual weather, but we haven't seen that, so something else is going on."

The something else seems to be that a high-pressure ridge off the coast, appears to be breaking down and allowing storms to reach the area, Redmond said.