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Agency Proposes Electricity Rate Hike in NW by Staff The Seattle Times, February 12, 2009

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Bonneville Power Administration says it needs to raise its rates by 7 percent to 8 percent, beginning in October.

The agency provides more than a third of the electricity for the Pacific Northwest. It sells the power from 31 federal dams and a nuclear plant in the Columbia River Basin to more than 140 utilities.

Agency officials cite increased costs, including expenses for salmon recovery programs, and a decline in sales of surplus power outside the region. The surplus power sales subsidize rates in the Northwest and have been hurt by the recession and low water.

The proposed rates are subject to a public review and a final decision in July.