Left to Right:  Casey, Dillon, Quincy

  VOLTA, located at the Camp Rilea Training Center, approximately ten miles south of Astoria, Oregon, is sponsored by the Northwest Line Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. Designed to meet the need for entry-level line workers to enter the electric utility industry with basic knowledge of safety, electrical systems, and equipment, VOLTA is a ten-week program consisting of both hands-on field and classroom training. VOLTA graduates are prepared for employment opportunities such as apprenticeships or line crew groundmen.
 
  Mitchell is the son of Oregon Trail Electric Consumers Cooperative (OTEC) general foreman Mike Mitchell and Sandy Mitchell. “I’m excited about the future,” said Casey. “I just want to get going.” He enjoyed the program and feels VOLTA provided good exposure to the utility industry. “It’s going to be challenging, but I’m ready.”
 
  The son of Jay and Connie Lohner, Dillon also has ties to OTEC; his mother is the Baker District office supervisor. Dillon earned a scholarship from OTEC, which is designated for students who want to pursue a career in the electric utility industry.

  “I’m going to sign the union books and apply for everything possible,” said Dillon. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get my foot in the door somewhere.”
 
  Although he has no direct ties to the industry, Warner believes VOLTA put him on the right track for a career. “I really liked everything about the program,” he said. “The instructors were able to make it all come together.”
 
  Bill Stone, Northwest Line Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (NW Line JATC) director, spoke to the graduates and their guests. After emphasizing the importance of working safely and letting graduates know that NW Line JATC and VOLTA will always be resources, he also discussed the realities of employment in today’s market. “Yes, there are apprentices laid off right now, but would you tell a student not to attend a college because of the market? New college graduates are not getting hired right now.”
 

The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee of the Northwest Line Construction Industry (NW Line JATC) is a non-profit association designed to systematically train unionized workers for the outside electrical construction industry. NW Line JATC is governed by a Board of Directors representing the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and The National Electrical Contractors Association. 

• Union County candidate for position number 7 is incumbent Greg Howard.
  • Challenging Greg Howard are Jeff Puckett and Gary Tate.
• Union County candidate for position number 8 is incumbent David Baum.
• Baker County candidate for position number 9 is incumbent Peggi Timm.

  All candidates are running to serve a 3-year term.  Nominating committees appointed for each district selected candidates for the ballot.

  Additional candidate names may be placed on the ballot by petition.  Petitioning candidates must collect 250 valid signatures of registered OTEC voting members and then submit the petition to the OTEC headquarters in Baker City by March 16, 2010.

  OTEC’s annual meeting will be held in La Grande on May 15, 2010, and the election winners will be announced at that time.  OTEC voting members will be able to cast their ballots by mail in April or in person at the annual meeting.

  To register to vote in OTEC elections or to find out if you are an OTEC registered voter, contact your local OTEC office.

  With just over 1100 irrigator accounts, OTEC is directly impacted by this oversight and was overcharged an amount of about $60,000.  While OTEC and others were overcharged, there was a simultaneous (approximately $2 Million) undercharging of other BPA customers.

  “The proposal to forgive the overcharge and simply move on is not only the wrong solution but it would be unethical to do so.  BPA identified the overcharge, so the only right thing to do is to fix it,” suggests Werner Buehler, OTEC General Manager.  “This is especially true at a time, given the current economic climate, when OTEC is doing all it can to hold its costs down.  The approximate $60,000 may not seem like a lot to BPA or compared to OTEC’s actual revenue, but it is our responsibility to watch every dime for our members.”

  The overcharge was the result of an oversight in the in the calculations of BPA’s Irrigation Rate Mitigation Program (IRMP).  The IRMP was developed to mitigate significant rate increases for the utilities large irrigation loads due to BPA’s change in seasonal rates.  “The proposal to forgive the overcharge is counter intuitive to the original purpose,” says Buehler.

  “OTEC will use the public comment period as an opportunity to continue working in the best interest of our members by monitoring and participating in the process,” said Buehler.  “As a not-for- profit member owned cooperative, OTEC’s role is to keep the rates as low as possible while providing a safe and reliable service.  Being overcharged is not the best way to achieve this goal, and forgiving the overcharge is not in the best interest of our members.”

  Members of OTEC are also encouraged to offer comments to BPA.  You may provide written comments on BPA’s proposal to forgive the approximate $2 Million overcharge until February 26, 2010.  These comments can be made on-line at BPA’s Web site: www.bpa.gov/comment, via e mail to comment@bpa.gov; via mail to:  Bonneville Power Administration, Public Affairs Office-DKC-7, P.O. Box 14428, Portland, OR 97293-4428; or faxed to 503-230-3285.  You can also call BPA with your comments, toll free at 1-800-622-4519.  Please reference “Irrigation Rate Mitigation Program” with your comments.  Please note all comments will be posted on BPA’s external web site.

  Once the public comment period concludes, BPA will determine whether or not to forgive the significant overcharge, or to deal with it in a different manner.

  Members can also click here for suggested email comment language. 

  “OTEC’s members have stepped up recently and made their voice heard at BPA,” explains Buehler.  “We hope they will do so again.”

  To review the comments submitted by OTEC to BPA on this issue, click here.