Journal
The
NEWS | Wetlands permit issue comes to a resolution [3] ARTS | Experience life in the 19th Century [9] CULTURE | Art workshop with Nancy Spaulding [10]
WEDNESDAY, July 22, 2015 n VOL. 108, NO. 29 n 75¢
Weather weighs on OPALCO rate hike
Rescue on Salish Sea
By Anna V. Smith
By Meredith M. Griffith
Journal reporter
Weekly contributor
The Orcas Power and Light Cooperative members are seeing continued rate increases as OPALCO continues to collect less revenue due to lower kilawatthour sales. This February OPALCO enacted a $10.30 facility charge on all member accounts. For July, the co-op board approved an additional “revenue recovery add-on” through 2015 to meet a projected revenue shortfall of $661,000. The increase will raise the average member’s bill by $8.43 per month. “Despite these rate increases,” says OPALCO public relations administrator Suzanne Olson, “member bills have been lower on average than the past couple of years. This is because we’re not using as much energy – our revenues are down and so are our bills.” One key contributor, says Olson, is that recent erratic weather – and the resulting energy demand volatility – pays no heed to the fixed operating costs of energy utilities. It’s not just that demand for electricity drops in warm weather, erratic weather makes it difficult for energy companies to accurately forecast both the amount of electricity needed from suppliers, and the yearly revenue that will be provided by kilowatt-hour (kWh) electricity sales. “Everybody in the nation has been caught short this year because it’s an unusual trend we haven’t seen,” explained Olson. OPALCO President Jim Lett said that many member utilities of the Northwest Public Power Association are struggling with revenue shortfall, due mostly to warmer weather but also because of increased conservation measures and solar generation. In 2014, OPALCO’s cost of purchased power from Bonneville See OPALCO, Page 4
A new take on climate
Contributed photo / Gil Dobbe
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four people from a boat stuck on the rocks on Monday afternoon near False Bay. Read the full story of the rescue on page 5.
Housing issues wear on
A workshop called Connecting to Climate hosted by the National Park Service Aug. 4-5 will go a step further than a typical climate change seminar, according to coordinator Raena Parsons. “The focus of the workshop isn’t on climate change science, but more of the behavioral side of how people create beliefs of climate change and the psychology of it,” Parsons said. According to a report by the American Psychological Association Task Force, structural and psychological barriers affect how individuals take action on climate change. Some people react by feeling guilty and unable to make a difference, while others may engage in small token actions that don’t result in a sustainable solution. The workshop is aimed at eduSee CLIMATE, Page 7
By Anna V. Smith Journal reporter
In a special meeting July 15, San Juan County Housing Bank Commission continued work on a 2016 plan to answer a question posed to them by the San Juan County Council: are an increase in vacation rentals having an impact on affordable housing availability countywide? Originally brought up in a May 12 meeting, the council requested the commission look into county statistics to gather a working plan addressing the critical needs of affordable long-term rentals, affordable home ownership opportunities and affordable seasonal worker housing, according to an HBC memorandum. Nancy DeVaux, Chairwoman of HBC and executive director of San Juan Community Home Trust, says that the problem of housing availability has been around for years, and that little has been done by the county because of a lack of funds. An affordable housing levy failed to pass by voters in 2006, but did create the HBC. The commission was supposed to oversee where the funds went, but there weren’t any to give out. “Yes it’s having an impact,” DeVaux says about the vacation rentals. “But we can’t quantify or specifically
Sales deadline
Staff photo / Anna V. Smith
Nancy DeVaux, director of the Community Home Trust
pinpoint what it is, and instead we’re recommending an update of the needs assessment. There’s all these anecdotes and people saying there’s a crisis, but how many people are really looking for housing, are they looking for rentals, and are they looking for home ownership?” It’s easy to find anecdotes from renters or landlords of desperate situations. Seasonal renters agreeing to sign a lease without seeing the room, long-term See HOUSING, Page 7
2015 Fair guide publishes the week of Aug. 12 in the Journal, Sounder & Weekly. Sales Deadline: Wed., July 29, 2015. For more info, call the Journal 378-5696.