<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517932" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_c94ab54e-ca18-11e5-8002-1b197213583d.html" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518059">http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_c94ab54e-ca18-11e5-8002-1b197213583d.html</a><iframe src="http://stats-newyork1.bloxcms.com/trinityjournal.com/?title=TPUD%20to%20consider%20surcharge%2C%20rates%20-%20The%20Trinity%20Journal%20%3A%20Local%20News&referrer=http%3A//www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_c94ab54e-ca18-11e5-8002-1b197213583d.html&domain=trinityjournal.com&uri=/news/local/article_c94ab54e-ca18-11e5-8002-1b197213583d.html%3Fmode%3Dprint" width="0" height="0" frameborder="0" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517952" class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; width: 0px; min-height: 0px; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;"></iframe></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517932" class=""><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 17px;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517956" class=""></span></div><h1 style="font-size: 24px; outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 27px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517958" class="">TPUD to consider surcharge, rates</h1><div style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 24px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517960" class=""><span style="outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: 700; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517962" class="">By AMY GITTELSOHN The Trinity Journal | Posted: Wednesday, February 3, 2016 6:15 am</span></div><div style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 24px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517964" class="">With above-average snow in the mountains and rainfall actually substantial enough to cause some landslides, Trinity Public Utilities District customers may be anticipating lower bills for hydroelectric power from the district.</div><div style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 24px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517966" class="">To the contrary, TPUD General Manager Paul Hauser said due to increasing costs not only will he recommend to the TPUD board that the drought surcharge remain in place, but the district will also need to look at some kind of rate increase in the near future.</div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517968"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517970" class="">The drought surcharge is currently 1.3 cents per kilowatt hour, so for a household using 1,000 kilowatt hours in a month it adds $13 to the bill. It brings in approximately $1.3 million annually.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517972"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517974" class="">As it is currently worded, the district’s drought relief surcharge tariff says that while the surcharge is triggered by back-to-back dry years, it is to be reviewed each April and automatically lifted after the first above-average water year for the North State, as determined by the state Department of Water Resources. If the season continues to be a wet one, the drought surcharge will be lifted in a few months under those parameters.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517976"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517978" class="">However, Hauser said he will be recommending changes for the board to vote on and is working up better criteria for the drought surcharge.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517980"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517982" class="">“There’s just no way we can remove the drought surcharge this year,” he said, adding that while the rainfall may seem impressive, “anybody that goes out to the lake, it still looks really bad.”</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517984"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517986" class="">Although the lake is still low after four “mega-drought years,” Hauser noted, “If they get a lot of rain they’re going to release a lot of water” to the Trinity River.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517988"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517990" class="">The low lake and higher river releases mean less hydroelectricity which raises the price the district pays for power from the federal Western Area Power Administration.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517992"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517994" class="">Already, Hauser noted, the district this year is taking more than $2 million out of its reserves.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517996"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_517998" class="">The district reported its annual power costs have escalated from $2,131,000 in 2012 to $3,975,000 today, an increase of more than 86 percent.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518000"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518002" class="">The drought isn’t the only issue affecting the TPUD’s costs, and Hauser expects the district will have to look at some type of rate increase as well.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518004"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518006" class="">A TPUD news release cited high fixed costs due to the county’s rugged landscape in an area larger than the state of Delaware. The TPUD has more than 700 miles of power lines winding through the county, and roughly 500 of those miles are on federal lands surrounded by narrow tree clearance right-of-ways.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518008"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518010" class="">“Accessing these remote lines and poles during outages, and even during normal maintenance, makes our maintenance costs some of the highest in the state,” the TPUD said.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518012"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518014" class="">While the district is dedicated to mitigating these costs for customers, “it is equally as important to maintain the financial health of the district so that we can provide electricity for decades to come,” the news release states. “Given the continuous rising costs, it has become clear that soon the cost of providing power to our customers will outrun income.”</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518016"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518018" class="">In upcoming months, the TPUD will hold public forums to present its plan to cover the increasing cost of electricity and maintenance.</div></div><div class="" style="font-size: 17px; outline: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518020"><div style="outline: 0px; margin-top: 10px; line-height: 24px; background-image: none; float: none !important; overflow: visible !important; position: relative !important;" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1454356860873_518022" class="">The TPUD board is next slated to meet on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. at the TPUD community room at 26 Ponderosa Lane in Weaverville. The agenda is not available yet.</div></div></div></body></html>