Trump budget would raise power rates. Congress must stop this awful plan | Editorial

Tucked into the Trump administration’s 2021 federal budget is a terrible plan to privatize the Bonneville Power Administration and other federal, not-for-profit power agencies. Our Northwest legislators need to block it.

If the proposal slides through, BPA customers will be at the mercy of wealthy investors looking to make money. Electric rates inevitably would shoot up, hurting the poor and middle class.

And most of the electricity used in the Tri-Cities comes from the BPA.

Our region’s congressional delegates have fought against this idea before — many times, in fact — and they have always won. It’s a shame, though, that they have to contend with it again.

This is the fourth year in a row that the Trump administration has proposed selling off the publicly owned Northwest transmission grid.

The same idea also was considered by the Obama, Clinton, George W. Bush and Reagan administrations. Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., apparently can’t resist what they see as an easy money-making venture.

But what would be a one-time boost to the nation’s budget would shatter an affordable power system in the Northwest, and the ramifications to our region would be disastrous.

The BPA is self-funding thanks to an innovative rate plan implemented years ago.

The capital investment, operation and maintenance of the BPA’s transmission system are paid for by those who buy the electricity through their local utilities.

The power is provided to the region at cost — not at a profit for private investors.

The arrangement works beautifully, keeping energy rates relatively low for citizens and for industry officials looking to do business in the Northwest.

BPA owns 15,000 miles of electric transmission lines, and its service territory includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho and some small parts of other nearby states.

Selling BPA’s transmission assets would change the focus from serving ratepayers to serving shareholders. That means a select number of people get richer while everyone else gets stuck with higher energy bills.

Along with the potential rate hike, there also is a valid concern that if the BPA grid were sold to private investors, unprofitable lines serving rural areas might be abandoned.

That would be a horrible blow to farmers and others who live far from urban centers.

No benefit will come to regional ratepayers if the BPA is privatized, and we are the people who have made the system work all these years.

It’s a bad idea that continues to be turned on year after year. Congress must be sure to shut it down.