20080908Vol I Lewiston.pdf

ORIGINAL.BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION
OF AVISTA CORPORATION FOR THE
AUTHORITY TO INCREASE ITS RATES
AND CHARGES FOR ELECTRIC AND
NATURAL GAS SERVICE TO ELECTRIC
AND NATURAL GAS CUSTOMERS IN THE
STATE OF IDAHO
)
) CASE
)
)
)
)
)
)
NOS. AVU-E-08-01
AVU -G- 0 8 - 0 1
BEFORE
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COMMISSIONER JIM KEMPTON (Presiding)
COMMISSIONER MARSHA SMITH
COMMISSIONER MACK REDFORD.
PLACE:Brammer Building
1225 Idaho Street
Lewiston, Idaho
DATE:August 27, 2008
VOLUME I - Pages 1 - 27
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CSB REPORTING
Constance S. Bucy, CSR No. 187
23876 Applewood Way * Wilder, Idaho 83676
[phone] * [phone]
Email csb(Ðheritagewifi.com
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1 APPEARANCES
2
3 For the Staff:Kris Sasser, Esq.
Deputy Attorney General
472 West Washington
Boise, Idaho 83720-0074
4
5
6
For Avista Corporation:David J. Meyer, Esq.
Vice President & Chief Counsel
Avista Corporation
Post Office Box 3727
Spokane, Washington 99220
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9
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CSB REPORTING
[phone]
APPEARANCES
.1 I N D E X
2
3 WITNESS EXAMINATION BY PAGE
4 Shayla Umphenour Statement 3
(Public)
5 Terri Sterling Statement 4
6 (Public)Commissioner Kempton 7
7 Linda Mock Statement 9
(Public)
8
Ken Krahn Statement 14
9 (Public)
10 Roberta Berry Statement 17
(Public)Commissioner Smith 18
11
Nita Starn Statement 19
12 (Public).13 Linda Mock Statement 21
(Public)
14
Barb Kramer Statement 23
15 (Public)
16
17
18
19
20
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23
24.25
CSB REPORTING INDEX
(208 )890-5198
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1 LEWISTON, IDAHO, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008, 7:00 P.M.
2
3
4 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Okay; so now going
5 on the record, we are in the Brammer Building in
6 Lewiston, Idaho. It's the 27th of August, 2008, and it
7 is five, we'll call it 7:00 o'clock. That's close enough
8 because we started informally. We're here to conduct a
9 public hearing on a joint motion for approval of a
10 settlement stipulation filed by Avista Utilities,
11 Potlatch Corporation, Community Action partnership and
12 the Commission Staff as noticed by the Commission Order
13 No. 30622 dated August 12th, 2008. More specifically,
14 it's a hearing on the application of Avista Corporation
15 for the authority to increase its rates and charges for
16 electric and natural gas customers in the State of Idaho
17 as filed in Commission rate case AVU-E-08-01 and
18 AVU-G-08-01; so on the introduction of Commissioners, to
19 my left is Marsha Smith and to my right is Commissioner
20 Mack Redford.
21 It is a hearing. It is not a workshop.
22 It is not something where we communicate back and forth.
23 We may ask questions, we make incidental comments, but
24 for the most part, it's your show. It's for you to talk
25 to us and I can assure you that we do pay attention to
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
1 COLLOQUY
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1 the comments that come in, whether they come in by
2 e-mail, by letter or public testimony like here tonight.
3 The proceedings in this case are being conducted in
4 accordance with Commission jurisdiction under Title 61
5 Idaho Code, the Commission Rules of Procedure and IDAPA
6 31.01.01.
7 There have actually been two workshops the
8 Commission has had, Staff, in north Idaho to work with
9 the public in an informal environment which this is not,
10 obviously, and one of those was conducted in Moscow on
11 the 23rd of July and the other one was conducted in
12 Coeur d'Alene on the 24th of July, so having said that,
13 are there any questions from anybody that would like to
14 ask a question before we get going?
15 Okay, that being said, the first person to
16 sign up is Terri Sterling. Terri, if you would like to
17 come up.
18
19 TERRI STERLING,
20 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
21 sworn, testified as follows:
22
23 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Excuse me just a
24 second, so we have two of you?
25 MS. UMPHENOUR: Yes, Shayla Umphenour.
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
2 COLLOQUY
.1
2
SHAYLA UMPHENOUR,
appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
3 sworn, testified as follows:
4
5
6
7 BY MS. SASSER:
8 Q
EXAMINATION
If you could state your state and spell
9 your last name for the record, please.
.
10 A Shayla Umphenour, U-m-p-h-e-n-o-u~r.
And do you have a residence address?
Yes, it's on there. My name is on
Could you state it for the record? We
15 have a court reporter here.
20
11 Q
12 A
13 there.
14 Q
16 A
17 Idaho, 83501.
18 Q
19 A
Q
21 yourself
22
23
A
Q
24 organization?.25 A
520 27th Street, Apartment 3, Lewiston,
And are you a customer of Avista?
Yes.
And are you here just representing
Yes.
-~ or are you here representing a group or
Myself.
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
3 UMPHENOURPublic
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20
1 Q Okay, please proceed with your statement.
2 MS. STERLING:I'm going to let Shayla
3 speak first and I'm going to stand here. It's a little
4 intimidating, I think, to be in a room of people wearing
5 sui ts and we're not very clearly, so I'm just really
6 going to stand here for moral support, but I will
7 speak.
8 MS. UMPHENOUR: My name is Shayla
9 Umphenour. I only make, like, $6.55 an hour. I'm a
10 single woman. I live on my own. I rent my own apartment
11 and I don't think it's fair that we should have to have a
12 rate increase for people that try to live on their own
13 and try to make it in the world.
14 MS. STERLING: And so my name is Terri
15 Sterling.
16
17 EXAMINATION
18
19 BY MS. SASSER:
Q Ma' am, could you spell your last name for
21 the record?
22
23
A S-t-e-r-l-i-n~g .
Q And do you have an address different from
24 the address stated?.25 A Yes, I live at 29958 Triumph Lane in
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
4 UMPHENOUR
Public
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1 Culdesac, 83524, and I am representing working families
2 and the Idaho Community Action Network and we're very
3 concerned about the rate increase. Particularly, I
4 think, after reading through what's happening, I'm really
5 concerned about settlements happening, negotiations
6 happening outside this proposed settlement which
7 apparently is an agreement with the CAP agencies and
8 Potlatch. That doesn i t really satisfy the needs of the
9 communi ty, I guess.
10 When I look at what they negotiated,
11 there's $125,000 in additional funds for energy
12 assistance programs this winter and I think that with the
13 energy costs what they are right now, people are going to
14 pay a lot more and that money is not going to go far
15 enough and I think it was wrong for a sort of secret
16 meeting to happen without public input that they would
17 reach such a low number, $125,000 added to this pot which
18 is already 350, so it would go to $465,000 across the
19 state, and then we compare that to the $2 million that
20 the CEO makes, we don't think that that's really very
21 fair for Idaho customers.
22 We put a lot into having electricity and
23 we want to keep warm this winter and we're afraid our
24 families are not going to be able to do that and so we
25 think that it was wrong for that settlement to happen
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
5 STERLING
Public
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1 behind closed doors and not the public to be privy to
2 that. We are glad that we could be here today. It is a
3 li ttle intimidating, as always, to come and speak and my
4 daughter, she spoke, she's disappeared now, my daughter
5 spoke three years ago before this Commission about the
6 proposed rate increase for Avista at that time and she
7 doesn't want to speak today, but the rate increase, 11.98
8 percent, is going to hit families hard.
9 I i ve organized in this community for about
10 ten years now and people cannot afford to pay more.
11 Fixed income, 600 and some odd dollars a month just isn't
12 going to get us through. Right now personally with both
13 my husband and I working, we pay more than 30 percent of
14 our income to energy costs and granted, part of that is
15 electrici ty, but come winter, that could really, really
16 have a serious impact on our families, so one, we think
17 that the rate increase is absolutely, like, just way too
18 high, and two, we don't think that these sort of
19 negotiations should happen without public input, because
20 personally, our group thinks that that pot of money
21 shouldn't be $465,000, it should be $700,000. They
22 should make that a $700,000 pot, at least, and then there
23 should be $700,000 in there for weatherization programs
24 so that maybe we could have less expensive heating costs
25 in the wintertime, but absolutely, we stand opposed to
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
6 STERLING
Public
.1 this rate increase. Thank you.
2
3 EXAMINATION
4
5 BY COMMISSIONER KEMPTON:
6 Q Terri, a question, first of all, a
7 statement and that is if I spoke as well you do when I'm
8 intimidated in front of organizations and audiences I
9 speak to, I wish I could speak as well, so anyway, having
10 said that, CAP, I'm not sure of the entire umbrella that
11 they cover. Do they also cover Idaho Citizens Network,
12 ICAN?.13 A It i s the Community Action Partnership.
14 It's my understanding they're the host for the LIHEAP
15 programs, so energy assistance, but just from personal
16 experience, like they generally don't always have enough
17 funds to really cover families' heating costs in the
18 winter that really need that help. Personally, my
19 neighbor right now hasn't had electricity for months.
20 He's an older guy and couldn't afford his bill and so
21 he's just doing without because he's tired of it, but I
22 think that it's just too much and I think that the CAP
23 agencies settling for such a low amount isn't going to
24 help our families this winter enough, and during the year.25 when even in the summertime when we have, you know,
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
7 STERLING (Com)
Public
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20
1 extreme hot weather conditions, people are certainly
2 still struggling with those electric bills and the CAP
3 agencies don't, they don't have enough money. When
4 people go, they are turned away and I don't think that
5 should happen when they have ~- when Avista has revenues
6 in the millions and tens of millions of dollars, it
7 doesn't seem right that there are still people that are
8 going without electricity when they need it, and so until
9 that stops, like, I don't think they're giving enough
10 money. They need to put more money in that pot. They
11 need to put more money in that pot, especially if they're
12 going to raise their rates 11.98 percent. $7.00 doesn't
13 seem like a lot of money to some people, but is ita lot
14 of money to you guys?
15 AUDIENCE: Yes.
16 THE WITNESS: It's a lot of money.
17 Q BY COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: You're kind of
18 expanding on the question I asked, Terri.
19 A Oh, I'm sorry.
Q You're expanding the scope from how I
21 asked the question.
.
22 A I'm sorry.
23 Q Questions for the audience isn' t quite
24 appropriate.
25 A I apologi ze.
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
8 STERLING (Com)Public
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1 Q Are you finished yet?
Yes.
COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Okay, thank you
THE WITNESS: Thank you.
(The witness left the stand.)
COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Gene, do we have
MR. FADNESS: We do.
COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Linda Mock.
LINDA MOCK,
13 appearing as a public witness, having been duly sworn,
15
16
17
18 BY MS. SASSER:
19 Q
2 A
14 was examined and testified as follows:
3
4 very much.
5
6
7
8 any more?
9
10
11
12
20 your last name?
21 A
EXAMINATION
Could you please state your name and spell
My name is Linda Mock, M-o-c- k. I live at
22 800 Culdesac Avenue in Culdesac and I'm a member of ICAN,
23 Idaho Community Action Network, but I'm actually here
24 representing myself..25 Q And so you are an Avista customer?
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
9 MOCK
Public
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1 A I am an Avista customer and I have been
2 for about, well, since I moved to town in 1976, since I
3 came back to Idaho. Ever since Avista took over, I've
4 been their customer.
5 Q Please proceed with your statement.
6 A My husband was inj ured in '86. He can no
7 longer work. I 'm living with a partial heart. I can no
8 longer work a full -time job. We i re both on social
9 securi ty and he i s on disability. We struggle to make our
10 monthly bills. We just had -- our water, sewer and
11 garbage rates went up by $10.00 a month. Every penny
12 that we get is budgeted. We haven't been out to dinner
13 for over six months, not even a MacDonald's hamburger for
14 six months.I bought a juice tonight because I forgot to
15 bring water, but we can't afford it. We are on a very
16 fixed income.I have an old house. We did get through
17 the Community Action, we did get it insulated. They said
18 since they had done it once, they won't do it again.
19 They're antiquated windows that we can't afford to fix.
20 We can't afford to fix our car, we had to borrow one.
21 Thank God for a mother-in-law that pays her insurance and
22 lets us use her car, but we can't afford to do that.I
23 mean, we can barely afford to keep ourselves going.
24 I have friends that are choosing between
25 food and medicine at this point and if they have to get
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
10 MOCK
Public
.1 this increase that much, like Terri said, $7.00 doesn't
2 seem a lot to a lot of people, but to a lot of people, me
3 and several of my friends who could not be here who are
4 totally housebound, $7.00 means a lot. It means a dinner
5 at home. It means $2.00 worth of gas, and it costs me
6 $2.00 worth of gas to come to town and go back. We make
7 fewer and fewer trips because everything is going up
8 except our set income. We just can't afford it.
9 I've done without power several times
10 because I cannot afford the power bill. All summer long
11 I pay catch~up on the winter bills. Because I heat with
12 wood, it costs me $165 a cord because we have to have it.13 spli t and delivered because we do not have a truck and my
14 husband cannot split wood, 165 a cord. We do get help
15 from Community Action. They give us a choice: Do you
16 want help with this month's power bill or do you want
17 wood? I can get two cords of wood which will last me
18 half the winter or one month of a power bill. I have to
19 make that decision and we have to stay warm. We have no
20 other heat in our house.
21 We have a little electric heater we have
22 to plug in if we go someplace, but that's the only other
23 heat we have in our house. We can't get natural gas. We
24 can't get propane. The only thing we can get put in is.25 an electric heater. We can't afford our electricity now
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
11 MOCK
Public
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.13
1 wi th the rates all going up. They just raised by $ 10.00
2 a month our water, sewer and garbage. It's just the case
3 of we can't do it, and we're lucky, we're a couple.
4 There are several people out there that are living under
5 $500 a month, single, widows and other gentlemen. We
6 pick up cans for them. Everybody saves cans for them so
7 they can make a little bit more. It's just gotten to the
8 point that we don't know what we're going to do, go back
9 and start using kerosene lamps.
10 TV is our only big entertainment. We gave
11 up going out years ago because we couldn't afford it and
12 our TV is it. We save our own food. We hunt and fish so
we have extra food, go with ICAN and it's a joke. This
14 is off subject, but food stamps in the State of Idaho are
15 a joke. They're a laugh. We go to the tribe for food
16 and that's how we have to do it, any tribal food we can
17 get, so that's what we do. We penny pinch. We glean.
18 We go out in the field, are you done picking your field,
19 let us have the rest. There's about 15 people I know in
20 Culdesac alone that for one reason or another could not
21 be here tonight that are the same way. If you see
22 somebody with an apple tree, if you're not going to do
23 anything with it, can we have it and that's how we
24 survive, and $7.00 isn't much, but $7.00 means do I make.25 a trip to town to the doctor or do I stay home. I stay
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
12 MOCK
Public
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1 home and that's now. I do that now, let alone go up
2 another $7.00, I'll be making less and less trips to
3 Lewiston.
4 That's all I have to say, really. I know
5 that everything is going up, I know that, but it's
6 hi tting us on total fixed incomes where neither one of us
7 can work. If we try to work and SSI finds out about it,
8 even two days a week, they take the money away from us,
9 so no matter what we get, we're going to -- you know, he
10 tried to go back to work and he was down ill for over a
11 year because he tried to go back to work and he couldn't
12 do it, physically, he couldn't do it. He was off more
13 than he could work, so he can't do that. We're not
14 asking for a handout, we're asking for a hand up to help
15 us get up and don't raise it that much. It's going to
16 hurt the little people. That's all I have to say is it's
17 going to hurt the little people.
18 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Thank you,
19 Mrs. Mock.
20 (The witness left the stand.)
21 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Ken Krahn.
22 MR. KRAHN: I'm Ken Krahn, K-r-a-h-n, 438
23 Avista ~- or Avista. I should be Avista, shouldn't I?
24 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: You need to be
25 sworn in first.
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
13 MOCK
Public
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.
.
1 KEN KRAHN,
2 appearing as a public witness, having been duly sworn,
3 was examined and testified as follows:
4
5 THE WITNESS: I'm Ken Krahn. I live at
6 834 Crestline Circle Drive in Lewiston here and what's
7 sad is this room isn't j am packed with people. That's
8 really sad. Now, what do you guys -- who are you with?
9 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Mr. Krahn?
10 THE WITNESS: Excuse me, Mack, are you
11 guys with the PUC?
12 COMMISSIONER REDFORD:Yes, we're the
13 Commission for the PUC.
14 THE WITNESS: All three of you?
15 COMMISSIONER SMITH: This is the
16 Commission.
17 THE WITNESS: Okay, I just wanted to make
18 sure. 25, 30 years ago, if I remember correctly, and I
19 know 18 years ago when I built my house everybody said go
20 gas, natural gas. We will never run out of natural gas,
21 never, and so what do you? You put everything into
22 natural gas. I built my house with natural gas, my
23 dryer, my heater, 90 percent efficient furnace, hot water
24 tank and so on. Now what do they tell us? Price of gas
25 going up. For what reason? I don't know. They tell us
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
14 KRAHN
Public
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1 to go green, start using the light fixtures and
2 everything to cut back on the use of our power, so people
3 start going green to cut back on the use of power, now
4 maybe that's cut back on your earnings, Avista, but you
5 know, that's not our fault. We did what you told us to
6 do to save energy. I don't know how many of you in here
7 have a 401 (k), how much --
8 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Mr. Krahn, I want
9 you to speak directly to the three of us sitting up here.
10 That's who you're testifying to, not the audience.
11 THE WITNESS: Last year I probably lost 30
12 percent on my 401 (k) and I'd like to know if the PUC has
13 ever turned down Avista in a rate increase and, if so,
14 when. I know what your CEO makes. Gary Ely makes 2.57
15 million, up 26 percent from '04, 2004. First vice
16 president makes 800,000. Second vice president makes
1 7 7 8 3 , 0 0 0, and the 0 the r two vic e pre sid en t s ma k e 4 4 0 , 0 0 0 a
18 year. I believe our dams were put in by the federal
19 government at the cost of our federal income tax and I
20 believe it's our natural resources as a citizen of Idaho
21 that power those dams, so I don't know why our rates are
22 going up.
23 We had a record water year in Idaho and I
24 don't know why our power would go up. I hope this is not
25 a formal meeting, one that has its mind already made up
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
15 KRAHN
Public
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20
21
22
23
24.25
1 of what the rate increase is going to be and you're just
2 here to appease the people stating you had a meeting, so
3 i would say as a citizen and a retired person on a fixed
4 income, I would say no, just say no. It's okay to say no
5 to a rate increase. It's okay to say no. It's our
6 economy. I don't know what people don't understand about
7 our economy. You better look at your 401(k) 'so You
8 better look at the economy because we're in a recession
9 and possibly a depression, and I would really appreciate
10 it if you'd just say no. Thank you.
11 Do you have any questions for me? Thank
12 you.
13 COMMISSIONER SMITH: No, I don't. Thank
14 you.
15 (The witness left the stand.)
16 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Ms. Berry, Roberta
17 Berry.
18
19
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
16 KRAHN
Public
.1 ROBERTA BERRY,
2 appearing as a public witness, having been duly sworn,
3 was examined and testified as follows:
.
20
4
5
6
7 BY MS. SASSER:
8
9 your last?
10
11
12
13
Q
A
Q
A
EXAMINATION
Would you please state your name and spell
Roberta Berry, B-e~r-r-y.
And your residence address?
Well, I get my bills sent to my post
office box. Do you want my address, too?
14
15
16
17
18
19
Q
A
Q
A
Q
A
Q
Sure.
I don i t know if I i ve got it because -~
A P.O. box is fine.
Okay, P.O. Box 55, Stites, Idaho.
Are you a customer of Avista?
Yes, I am.
And are you here representing yourself or
21 an organization?
22
23
24.25
A
Q
A
Myself.
Please proceed.
Okay, they have power shortages quite
often. I've noticed that since I've lived here for the
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
17 BERRYPublic
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20
21
22
1 past two-and-a-half years. They don't rely that -- when
2 your power goes off and it stays off for maybe four or
3 fi ve hours, if you've got stuff it can you know, you
4 have to throw it away because they got so much mold and
5 that around the trees in Idaho. You've got a beautiful
6 state, it's a good state, but you need to help your
7 people more. That's what I've noticed the past two
8 years-and-a-half living here. I don't think Idaho helps
9 their own people enough. That's all I can say.
10 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Commissioner
11 Smith?
12
13 EXAMINATION
14
15 BY COMMISSIONER SMITH:
16 Q Could you just state how many times do you
17 think your power goes out?
18 A Well, I'd say three to four times a
19 year.
Q For extended periods?
A Yes.
Q And do you have what we call momentary
23 outages where you have to reset your digital clocks?
24.25
A No, I've got an atomic clock.
COMMISSIONER SMITH: Thank you for your
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
18 BERRY (Com)
Public
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.
.
1 testimony.
2 (The witness left the stand.)
3 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Nita Starn.
4
5 NITA STARN,
6 appearing as a public witness, having been duly sworn,
7 was examined and testified as follows:
8
9 THE WITNESS: My name is Nita Starn. I
10 live at 175 Quail Lane, Kooskia, Idaho. I'm working with
11 the Idaho Community Action Network and the Friends
12 Feeding Family. I'm the food coordinator for that. I
13 just started this this year. The food, it's just amazing
14 what I've seen and I was raised in California and for the
15 past four-and-a-half years I'm amazed to the deficit
16 we're in. In Idaho it's so bad. Coming from a state
17 where the pay is good, you come here the food is
18 equivalent, the price is equivalent, but the pay is not.
19 I don't know how people make it. I handed out food
20 yesterday and so I was asked to come and represent them.
21 I asked everybody to come over, but it's too far for
22 them. They can't afford food, how can they afford $7. OO?
23 Again, as Terri Sterling had said, it is a lot for these
24 people. They don't have food. They don't have the
25 money.
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
19 STARN
Public
.1 I've gone to a gentleman's house last year
2 and I need to talk and let you guys know, I went to a
3 gentleman, he was in the Civil War -- he was in World War
4 II, so at 83 years old, I've gone to his house, I've
5 brought him heat, just me and my husband, but he can't
6 afford the bills. He has gone to the Community Action
7 Partnership, which I'm the food coordinator for in
8 Kooskia and been too late. There wasn't enough funds, so
9 he went without heat last year. On the days that we went
10 in he was all bundled up in his home and that's kind of
11 what he's got to show for fighting for our country, and
12 many others, many people, this year I know has been.13 harder for others. The gas is going up, but the pay is
14 not going up and now you've got where they want Avista to
15 go up. How do they do it.
16 If they can't feed themselves, how can
17 they pay more out to electric and each month if you add
18 it up over 12 months, it just adds up for the people, so
19 I need to speak for them and tell you it's really hard
20 out there. The families, last month we served 51
21 families, this month it went up to 67 in just a month of
22 that and then November till March they do the heating and
23 help the people out, but they've never had enough funds,
24 so how do they help the people. That's what I have to.25 say. Thank you.
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
20 STARNPublic
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1 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Just a second,
2 Mrs. Starn. Any questions?
3 COMMISSIONER SMITH: No.
4 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Thank you very
5 much.
6 (The witness left the stand.)
7 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Are there any other
8 sign-ups? Is there anyone in the room who would like to
9 come up and present testimony? Go ahead.
10 MS. MOCK: My name is Linda Mock and I
11 didn't mention that every time the wind blows strong ~-
12 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Mrs. Mock, this is
13 a little unusual, but go ahead and go over to the
14 microphone.
15 MS. MOCK: I'm sorry, I don't know how it
16 works.
17
18 LINDA MOCK,
19 appearing as a public witness, having been previously
20 duly sworn, resumed the stand and further testified as
21 follows:
22
23 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: We have your
24 information as far as your home address and everything..25 Go ahead and make your statement.
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
21 MOCK
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1 THE WITNESS:I just wanted to add one
2 thing.The power in Culdesac goes out at least once a
3 month. Every time the wind blows, a heavy rain, we go
4 wi thout power. The longest we've been without power was
5 12 hours which they happened to come out of Spokane.
6 It's probably a good deal, but still, 12 hours with no
7 power and unless you have a wood heater, you don't heat,
8 because they have to figure out some way to get to
9 Lewiston and if they don't drive, you go with cold
10 sandwiches or something if they have that available, but
11 it does go out a lot in Culdesac.
12 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Thank you.
13 MS. MOCK: Thank you. I'm sorry I didn't
14 do it right.
15 (The witness left the stand.)
16 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: You did fine, so,
17 once again, are there any other comments from members of
18 the audience who have not testified? Yes, ma' am.
19 MS. KRAMER: My name is Barb Kramer.
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
22 MOCKPublic
.
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20
1 BARB KRAMER,
2 appearing as a public witness, having been first duly
3 sworn, testified as follows:
4
5 EXAMINATION
6
7 BY MS. SASSER:
8 Q Ms. Kramer, could you spell your last name
9 for the record, please?
10 A Yes, K-r-a~m-e-r.
11 Q And your residence address?
12 A 198 Hillcrest Road, Lewiston.
13 Q Are you a customer of Avista?
14 A Yes, I am.
15 Q And are you representing yourself here
16 tonight or an organization?
17 A I am here representing myself and the
18 families that need help.
19 Q Okay.
A I didn't plan on testifying, but I'm
21 definitely concerned. I'm running for office. I've been
22 out knocking on doors and some of the biggest concerns I
23 hear when I ask what their concerns are is the economy,
24 their jobs are on the line, they don't have enough health.25 care. They're concerned about heating their homes
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
23 KRAMER
Public
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.
.
1 through the winter and I'm concerned, too, that people
2 that aren't here, that the elderly that can't get out
3 don't have a voice. I'm concerned about the rate of
4 return. I'm not getting that on my 401 (k). I'm
5 concerned about the amount that the CEO's earn relative
6 to the low income folks and I know you folks are in a
7 hard spot, but I agree that the $125,000 help seems a
8 pittance in comparison with some of the other figures and
9 i would ask that you increase that to whatever extent
10 that you can because these folks really need help.
11 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Just a second,
12 please, Mrs. Kramer. Any questions?
13 COMMISSIONER SMITH: No questions.
14 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Thank you very
15 much.
16 THE WITNESS: You're welcome.
17 (The witness left the stand.)
18 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: So another call,
19 anybody from the audience who would like to come up and
20 testify? Okay, there being no additional testimony to
21 provide, I will mention one thing before I adj ourn the
22 hearing and that is we will take this information.
23 There's going to be a technical and evidentiary hearing
24 tomorrow which is a full-blown hearing with all of the
25 parties that have filed with the petition. There will be
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
24 COLLOQUY
.
.
.
1 another hearing like this in Sandpoint tomorrow night
2 that the three of us will attend. All comments on all
3 aspects of the filing, the final filing date for that is
4 the 5th of September and after that the Commission will
5 take all the comments, all the testimony, all of the
6 matters under consideration on the stipulation and make a
7 decision following the submission of ail matters related
8 to the case which will be the September 5th date.
9 Are there any questions from anybody
10 before I close? Yes, sir.
11 MR. KRAHN: Where and what time will that
12 meeting be and is that open to the public tomorrow?
13 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: The hearing,
14 evidentiary hearing, the full hearing will be at 1: 00
15 o'clock tomorrow or is it 1:30? I think it's 1:00
16 o'clock, yeah, tomorrow.
17 MR. KRAHN: Here?
18 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: No, it's going to
19 be down in Boise.
20 MR. KRAHN: In Boise? Where at?
21 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: At the Commission
22 office. It's right down by the Capitol. It's just one
23 block off the Capitol, block-and-a -half.
24 MR. KRAHN: Thank you.
25 COMMISSIONER KEMPTON: Any other
CSB REPORTING
[phone]
25 COLLOQUY
.1 questions?Okay,then this hearing is adj ourned.Thank
2 you very much.
3 (The Hearing adj ourned at 7:35 p.m.)
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CSB REPORTING 26 COLLOQUY
(208 )890-5198
.1 AUTHENTICATION
5 proceedings held in the matter of the application of
2
3
4 This is to certify that the foregoing
6 Avista Corporation for the authority to increase its
7 rates and charges for electric and natural gas service to
8 electric and natural gas customers in the State of Idaho,
9 commencing at 7:00 p.m., on Wednesday, August 27, 2008,
10 at the Brammer Building, 1225 Idaho Street, Lewiston,
11 Idaho, is a true and correct transcript of said
12 proceedings and the original thereof for the file of the.
.
13 Commission.
14
15
16
17
CONSTANCE S. BUCY
Certified Shorthand Reporte
18
19
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I,! III i ! \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \
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CSB REPORTING
[phone]
27 AUTHENTICATION