WSP10052

• File Number: 8220.111
• Description: Central Utah Participating Project
• State: UT
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 1/1/1987
• Title: Western Resources Wrap-up: 1987 & 1992
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: News Article/Press Release

@!?~
M Ii}' 1({}
It; -,
WESTERN RESOURCES v /,'c..,
CO! ",./
~:~;~S4~;;:8~0. 18 CONSt%~~gJW4_
non -fed. Utah hydro propoS'~l/O:\I EJ/!~
blocked, ps. 1-3; . O~RD
Hall on BuRec "mission," p. 4;
other power news, p. 5

{)
" ,~~

~ '''''",'w
From: Helene C. Monberg
l23-Sixth Street Southeast
Washington, D.C., 20003
Area Code 202-546-1350-1

Washington--Wanted: A state with a tilt toward public power
that has an authorized federal water project which could use hydro
power facilities built by non-federal interests.
The Public Power Development Corp. (PPDC) of Washington, D.C.,
is looking for another federal water project now that its proposal
to finance a 90-000-100,000 kilowatt (KW) hydro plant in the
Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project (CUP) has been put "on
hold" by local sponsors in utah. Several-units of CUP, including the
Bonneville unit to serve the Salt Lake City area, are Bureau of
Reclamation projects.
It is extremely rare for sponsors of water projects to put off
potential allies, but that is what the Central Utah Water Conservan-
cy District (CUweD) of Orem, Utah, did on April 20.
On that date it had its five-member Utah Congressional delega-
tion write a letter to Secretary John Herrington of the Department
of Energy (DOE) requesting him to delay a notice in the Federal
Register on proposals to develop and market power from the Diamond
Fork power system and the Jordanelle power plant of the Bonneville
Unit. The letter said Western Area Power Admiistration (WAPA), a
power marketing agency (PMA) in DOE, and the Bureau of Reclamation
have had discussions with "a private entity interested in financing
the Bonneville Unit power plants."
The Utah delegation called such discussions "premature." Its
letter stated, "We feel that non-federal development of... power
plants (in the project) should not be proceed until adequate
assurances have been given to the CUWCD and the delegation that the
power plants at Diamond Fork and Jordanelle will be developed (to)
enhance the expeditious completion of the entire Bonneville unit and
will ensure appropriate repayment of the project."
"Given the broad public interest in the state of Utah over the
development of these facilities," the delegation's letter concluded,
"we feel the Bureau and Western should be particularly careful in
developing relationships with anyone private financier at a time
when a consensus does not exist for the Bureau and Western's plans."
CUWCD is looking into several options to develop Bonneville unit
power, "including financing the power units itself," a staffer in
the delegation told Western Resources Wrap-up (WRW) on April 28. The
letter was signed by Sens. Jake Garn and Orrin Hatch (R), Rep. James
V. Hansen and Howard C. Nielson, R, and Rep. Wayne OWens, 0, ie, the
entire Utah Congressional delegation.
PPDC FIRES BACK
President Ken Holum of PPDC fired back on April 21. In a
letter to Sen. John C. Stennis, D-Miss., chairman of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, Holum said he was "completely baffled" by
the position taken by CUWCD and Utah's Congressional delegation in
light of the circumstances. (more)

,
i
!
i
II
I
I
,
f
!
t
(
!
I
,
J
i
!
,
~
~.
~
~.t.
~
t
~
~~

i

~I
"

v
~;

~

.>

I

-.:

'.,

,
r..-

I"