20080214Comment.pdf

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Ronald Mattews
15926 Sunburst Dr.
Caldwell, il 83607-8449
208-455-0155
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ZOBS FEB i 2 Ar' 8: 17
Idao Public Utiities Commission
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0074
RE: Idao Power Rate Hike Request
Dear Sirs,
I am agast the residential rate hie of 4.7% for Idao power and I could tolerate
the rate hie of 1.3 7% you aleady approved but would prefer -based on sound
logic- tht no residential rate hie be approved.
SUllry:
The curent Idao Powertequest of 5.65% increase for al but residental and
residential being se at a 4.7% increas on the surace looks fair; however, ,it is a
very terble assessment. The Deparent of Energy merely includes such rate
hies in their anua budget request to the Federa Governent.
Irgators and big business (Mcron & Símlot) use the power to produce a
product which they sell at a profit. They may decrease their profit margi by as
much as 0.001 % to accommodate an increa in power bils.
Residentil customers do not prouce prouct to reoup increses in
power bill Reidentil customers do not effecvely have any ,means to
offset increes in power bUts
Residentil customers use power to exit, to survve, and to kep a
home.
Data from the Hunger Summit of Octobe 2006, a statewide hunger educational
suit, reveals that. over 50,000 residents of Idao are on 'fixed, income. An
additional 80,000 are on limited incomes. AfuU 18% of Idaho's children are
stag. Many, of the fied income residents are on social securty. Social
securty is adjusted by COLA, which is based on the rate of infation. In 2004 the
Executive Branch of governent ordered that Food and Fuels not be included in
the calculation. Therefore, the COLA does not represent the tre ination at the
grocery store or the gas pumps. If power rates increase at all, with a recession
evident, nearly 130,000 residents of Idao wil need to balance between food,
medcations, power, and fueL. Curently, for Payette & Canyon counties the
WICAP estimates that as many as i 50 residents will have power shut off on
March 3rd. A majority of these shut offs wil be for seniors on fixed social
securty income. May more strgglg families are likely to lose power durg
the sumer when no one doubts the recession is here.
Another reasn for disapprovig the rate increa for Idaho Power is that the
money will be used to offset the cost of extemely poor management decisions.
Idao Power has purchaed land and ru extemely expensive lines and tower to
what are now dead ends. They tred to instal various co-genertion plants around
the state without ful approval, they have ru the same lines to empty or nealy
empty new housing tracts and want the public to pay for those bad decisions.
Yet another reasn is tht for the last quer of a centu Idao Power could have
been buildig geotheral plants al along the Snake River plai. They are totally
non-polluting and totaly envionmentaly frendly. The life of a binar plant is
now set at 20 year.
Note: Most people th of mounta hot sprigs as geotheral sources. These
lay along cracks in the grante plumes with heat sources as deep as 30 kiometers
and will var greatly over time with earquaes. The Snake River plai therml
sources (over 20,000 acres wort) was created by the hot spt curently under
Yellowstone, and that hot spot not only "bured" a path across the surace, but
also bured a groove in the matle meang tht with 2 kiomete -often less-
sufcient geothermal power is available.
Respetfuly submitted,
r¡~d!(~
Ronald Mattews