Gorton: Bpa Sale Not Going To Happen Washington Senator Says House Plan Won’t Fly In Senate, No One Would Want To Buy Debt-Ridden Power Supplier

Sen. Slade Gorton says a plan drafted by several House Republicans to sell the Bonneville Power Administration won’t be taken seriously in the Senate.

“With its high costs and heavy debt, no one in their right mind would want to buy BPA,” the Washington Republican said.

Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., has not taken a formal position on the sale of BPA. But an aide to Dole said Friday the idea specifically was omitted from earlier Senate budget plans.

House Republicans included the proposed sale of BPA and other federal power marketing administrations in a bill Thursday that would dismantle the Energy Department.

Dole attended the news conference unveiling the proposal. But a spokeswoman for the senator said he has not endorsed the entire bill.

“The sale of BPA was specifically not included in either the House or the Senate budget,” Joyce Campbell said Friday.

“Senator Dole was at the press conference to support the principle of eliminating the Department of Energy. He hasn’t said we should eliminate all the programs and hasn’t signed onto the specifics of the House bill,” she said.

“The Senate is working on its own bill that will have differences with the House. Senator Dole will look at everything closely and hasn’t made a judgment on BPA,” she said.

The Clinton administration opposes the sale of BPA, as do the congressional delegations from Oregon and Washington.

The chief architect of the GOP bill, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., acknowledged stiff opposition to including BPA in the plan to sell all five power marketing administrations.

“We think all five is a good plan. Things like that will be worked out in committee,” Tiahrt said.

A House subcommittee held a hearing Thursday on bills backed by most Northwest lawmakers to refinance BPA’s $6.7 billion debt.

Under that plan, BPA ratepayers would face a one-time fee of $100 million, resulting in rate increases of 1 percent or less over the next 15 years.

Gorton’s press secretary, Heidi Kelly, said it was unlikely the House or Senate would approve BPA’s sale after “going through the long process of drafting the budget resolutions.

“Both the House and Senate committees agreed this is not a winner. We fully expect the proposal is not going anywhere,” Kelly said.