07/10/06 Finding a Balance

Finding a balance. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris and Congressman Doc Hastings took part in a House Water and Power Subcommittee Congressional field hearing last Friday in Pasco, Washington on "Electricity Costs and Salmon: Finding a Balance." The hearing was designed to help provide those answers and solutions in helping to keep energy rates low and maintaining the multipurpose use of the river system. McMORRIS: As we sit here at the Columbia and Snake River systems, we admire the natural beauty of our Pacific Northwest river system. These rivers have a major economic purpose as well. They serve as the lifeblood of our economy, our customs, our cultures and our traditions. The multi-purpose dams and reservoirs on the rivers bit only helped win World War II but to this day provide many benefits to those of us in the Pacific Northwest. Due to these high and often hidden costs, McMorris recently introduced the Endangered Species Compliance and Transparency Cost Act, which gives consumers the right to know how much of the federal government's ESA costs are being passed on to the electricity consumer. Hastings is an original cosponsor of this legislation. HASTINGS: These are our dams and the Northwest Congressional Delegation will never allow any outside region or administration to take the benefits of this system away from us. A number of agencies and interest groups were on hand to give their testimony regarding the issue. Ron Reimann is the owner of T&R Farms in Pasco. REINMANN: From '75 to 2005 our electrical power rate has increased 281%. 81% of this has come since 2001. Because of this we are constantly looking at our power costs and in 2006 we removed the circle and the mainline that provides water to it. In its 9 years existence it has generated $1,601,700.00 on land that was previously cheat grass. For tax purposes, this land under open spaces was accessed at $1147.00 per acre. It is now reverted back to ground at an accessed value of $8 per acre. This issue has and will continue to be a very volatile issue with many opinions yet to be heard. McMORRIS: The Federal Government has spent billions of dollars, reduced water deliveries to communities, made electricity more expensive and yet the ESA still has a 1% rate of success. In the world I grew up in a 1% rate does not meet the definition of success. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.