Alert for Portland (OR) DUers: H2356 goes to the OR leg. floor

[0rganism]

H2356 is the transparent attempt by deregulation fanatics to price-support Enron and its creditors at the expense of Portland ratepayers. In doing so, they are leveraging rural Oregon's resentiment of Portland for additional support. Read the text of the bill that recently passed out of committee:


House Bill 2356

Sponsored by Representative G SMITH


SUMMARY

The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.

Prohibits city with population of more than 500,000 from
acquiring property, by purchase or condemnation, if property
belongs to electric company and property is acquired for purpose
of providing electricity services.
Declares emergency, effective on passage.

A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to cities; and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. { + Section 2 of this 2003 Act is added to and made
a part of ORS chapter 225. + }
SECTION 2. { + Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a
city with a population of more than 500,000 may not acquire
property, by purchase or condemnation, if the property belongs to
an electric company, as defined in ORS 757.600, and the property
is acquired by the city for the purpose of providing electricity
services, as defined in ORS 757.600. + }
SECTION 3. { + This 2003 Act being necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency
is declared to exist, and this 2003 Act takes effect on its
passage. + }
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http://www.leg.state.or.us/03reg/measures/hb2300.dir/hb2356.intro.html

In essence, this bill uniquely restricts Portland's (and only Portland's) use of eminent domain with respect to PGE-Enron, and only PGE-Enron. I urge Oregon DUers to ask their legislators why this anti-Portland legislative travesty is occurring.

Contact info can be found here:

http://www.leg.state.or.us/house/hsemembers.htm

I assure you, after watching the most repulsive committee meeting I have ever seen, there are elected officials supporting this bill who would like nothing better than to see the Columbia river rise and remove Portland from the map.