Manager’s Message

Snake River Dams Kept Houses Warm & Lights on During Ice Storm

Oregon’s electric cooperatives have shared our concerns with Governor Tina Kotek’s office about the signed agreement the federal government signed late in 2023. This controversial agreement is intended to determine the future of the lower Snake River dams and locate other sources of electricity to serve our members.

While the dams are a sensitive subject, the most recent ice storm again demonstrated how essential the 4 hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River were in keeping Oregonians warm and safe. According to the Bonneville Power Administration, the lower Snake River dams made a major contribution to BPA’s efforts to keep the lights on during the cold snap in January.

During the most intensive freezing weather event the Pacific Northwest has seen in 20 years, the lower Snake River dams operated at levels higher than normal to meet record energy needs, made greater by the lack of wind and solar energy during the storm.

The recent federal agreement calls for replacing these critical hydroelectric projects with intermittent wind and solar resources, which are not always dependable due to the variability of wind and solar during extreme events.

Visit the Voices For Cooperative Power website to have a say in energy policy decisions that affect you.

Short Legislation Session

In the fast-paced realm of legislative developments, Wasco Electric Cooperative strives to communicate legislative bills that affect us.

Recognizing the dynamic nature of policies that impact our members, we prioritize staying aware of the latest changes to ensure we can advocate effectively.

Throughout the short session, we remain dedicated to providing timely updates on legislation that may affect our community, leveraging our social media channels and our website Wasco Electric.

Staying up-to-date on these platforms, we not only enhance transparency but also empower our members with the knowledge necessary to participate in the democratic process actively.

Lindsay Forepaugh
General Manager

Cooperative Welcomes New Director

We are pleased to introduce Al Mitchell as our newest director on the Wasco Electric Cooperative board. He represents District 3.

Al grew up in Estacada on a small family farm and attended Estacada High School. Following his graduation, Al embarked on a career in the electrical industry, starting as an apprentice. His dedication and hard work led him to become a licensed master electrician.

During his tenure as an electrical contractor in the Portland area, Al relocated to Seattle, where he successfully opened a new division overseeing as many as 70 employees on projects across the Northwest, including in Alaska and Montana.

In 1994, Al took a bold step by starting his own electrical contracting business from scratch. This venture became a reputable establishment focusing on bidder-designed commercial and light industrial projects. At its peak, Al’s business employed up to 28 people, highlighting his entrepreneurial spirit and knack for business development.

In 2017, Al and his wife, Laura Kelly, made a significant decision to return to her family’s farm on Juniper Flat. Laura’s family has been farming the land since 1879. For Al, this move represented more than just a location change. It was an opportunity to give back to the community that shaped his early years.

Al and Laura have been married for 44 years, and the couple have raised two accomplished daughters. Their enduring commitment to each other is reflected not only in their family life but in their shared dedication to the community.

Welcome, Al. We look forward to your commitment to the cooperative.

Lindsay Forepaugh
General Manager

Make Your Voice Heard in 2024

1 of the most important words in the electric utility industry is “certainty.” We want certainty that the electricity we provide is clean, affordable and reliable. Throughout the years, we have had this certainty because of our longstanding relationship with the Bonneville Power Administration, which markets the output from federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

However, current litigation pertaining to the hydropower system has created more uncertainty than ever when providing you with affordable, reliable electricity.

Plaintiffs — including the state of Oregon — have, for years, used the courtroom to increase BPA’s investment in fish and wildlife programs, even though BPA customers spend $685 million annually on these programs. Approximately ¼ of your electricity bill is the result of spending on fish and wildlife.

We recently learned a secret agreement between the plaintiffs and the federal government could saddle BPA customers with billions of dollars in new costs. One estimate predicts the electricity we buy from BPA could increase by 50%.

What is disappointing is this agreement was made without input from organizations that represent Northwest public power. Nor does this agreement provide certainty against further litigation that could skyrocket costs even more.

We need your help to put some common sense and transparency in this process. We need our elected leaders—such as Governor Tina Kotek and our congressional delegation—to stand up for our communities that depend on federal hydropower. If they don’t, the only thing certain is the electricity we provide you will be less affordable and reliable.

We encourage you to voice your opposition to any efforts to undermine our incredible Northwest hydro system. Go to the Protect Our Power page and sign the petition to protect your power.

Lindsay Forepaugh
General Manager

Wasco Electric Hires New General Manager

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Executive Search Committee and the board of directors of Wasco Electric Cooperative are pleased to announce the selection of Lindsay Forepaugh as general manager.

Lindsay, a native Oregonian, succeeds Ned Ratterman, who served in the role for 2 years.

“It is exciting to bring Lindsay to Wasco Electric,” WEC Board President Michael Collins says. “We know she will be a great asset to our cooperative and are happy she has decided to move back to Oregon and be a part of our co-op family.”

Before joining Wasco Electric, Lindsay served as chief relations officer for Delta-Montrose Electric Association in Montrose, Colorado. She previously was the chief financial officer for High West Energy of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming.

Before her role at HWE, Lindsay worked for 6 years in the oil and gas industry.

She held various titles, ranging from supply chain manager to internal auditor. In many of her roles, she was responsible for high-level strategic planning.

Lindsay’s educational accomplishments include a doctorate in business administration from Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business.

Lindsay begins leading the cooperative on January 1, 2024.

General Retirement of Capital Credits

In September, the Wasco Electric Cooperative (WEC) Board of Directors approved a general retirement of $600,598 to members. This action retires the remainder of the 1995 capital margins to members, along with the 1996 and 1997 capital margins. Members can expect to either see a bill credit or receive a check in December.

Capital credits are unique to cooperatives such as Wasco Electric. Private power companies make profits and pay dividends to stockholders. Cooperatives work on a nonprofit basis and allocate margins from their operating incomes back to their members.

Capital credits represent your share of the cooperative’s operating income, which is the operating revenue—or margins— that remains after operating expenses.

The amount designated in your name each year depends on your energy purchases for the year. To calculate this, we divide your annual energy purchase by the cooperative’s operating income for the year. The more electricity you buy, the more capital credits you earn. In February, each member who received service last year will be mailed a statement of their 2022 capital credit allocation. The member’s allocation amount is based on the yearend operating margins.

Capital credits are not necessarily dollars in a bank account. They represent funds that have been invested in the co-op’s physical infrastructure. Most months, Wasco Electric receives more cash from operations than is necessary to pay for operating expenses. However, the cooperative needs cash for purposes other than paying for operating expenses. WEC must pay principal and interest on money it has borrowed.

The cooperative also must use cash to pay for capital expenditures. The amount of cash needed for capital expenditures is largely determined by the growth of the utility and the replacement schedule for its aging system.

The distribution of capital credits and its effect on the financial well-being of the cooperative is an issue your board of directors deals with each year. It is the policy of the cooperative and the discretion of the board to return capital credits as long as the cooperative is financially fit to return them without borrowing more or raising rates to pay capital credits.

Interim General Manager
Paul Titus

Fire Season Recap

Wasco Electric Cooperative was busy during the wildfire season that started with the Mile Post 87 Fire along Interstate 84 on June 14 and continued through September.

In June, we tracked or responded to 2 fires, followed by 10 in July, 2 in August and 5 in September, as of September 21.

Electric utilities respond to fires to ensure the safety of the firefighters and the public. This work may entail turning off the electricity around the fire due to damaged poles and wires. After a fire has moved through an area, we inspect the poles to determine what may need to be replaced or when a line can be turned back on.

Wasco Electric members play a vital role in firefighting by volunteering with local fire departments; investing in water tanks, pumps and hoses on personal vehicles; providing water tenders and tractors with discs or bulldozers to create a fire break; and responding at a moment’s notice to fires in their local communities.

The addition of firefighting aircraft stationed at Dallesport Airport can provide a quick hit to wildfires and curtail the growth of a fire. Additional air support can come from Redmond, Tri-Cities and Moses Lake with large air tankers that can deliver 2,000 to 8,000 gallons of fire retardant.

Employees monitor the day-to-day conditions from the National Weather Service, United States Forest Service Mt. Hood District and Oregon Department of Forestry. The Wildland Fire Assessment System keeps us aware of red flag warnings, fire weather watches, risks of thunderstorms, wind advisories, heat warnings, industry fire protection levels, fire danger ratings and fire danger conditions.

This information helps WEC decide on operations for the upcoming days, weeks and months. Preparations include limiting off-road work, tree trimming in vulnerable areas, having a vehicle with a water tank and pump near work areas and setting distribution electronic protective devices to non-reclose.

The non-reclose function prevents a circuit breaker from closing into a fault that may cause additional arcing and sparking. When a circuit opens from this condition, our crews patrol the lines to try to identify and clear the problem before the line can be turned back on.

This scenario happened twice this year with no fires started from these disturbances. The vulnerable circuits with this capability have been in this condition since the end of June due to dry, hot conditions.

An outage can occur at any time, not just during wildfire season or extreme weather. It is an important reminder for members to:

• Plan ahead and be prepared year-round.
• Create a plan with your medical provider for appropriate backup power if you have medical devices in your house that rely on electricity.
• Update your contact information with WEC, including a cellphone number or email address. We use this information to contact you about planned outages or to provide updates.
• Monitor the Wasco Electric website and the Wasco Electric Facebook page and the Wasco Electric Instagram account for outage-related updates.

Interim General Manager
Paul Titus

Changing of the Seasons

September is upon us, and we are busy transitioning from summer to fall. Cooler temperatures are on their way. It’s time for the last crop harvests, as well as time for repair or replacement work. The children have returned to school, too.

As the amount of daylight decreases, we need to be more aware of our surroundings while traveling for our daily activities. It is especially important to be safe around those who work in and near the travel lanes of our roads and highways.

Please be respectful of the state of Oregon Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move over a lane or slow down 5 miles below the speed limit when approaching a motor vehicle that is stopped and is displaying required warning lights or hazard lights, or when approaching a person indicating distress by using emergency flares or posting emergency signs.

Pay special attention and be alert for students around school buses and school zones.

Wasco Electric Cooperative values everyone’s safety. We hope you do, too.

WECARE Donations

Each year, the cooperative reaches out to its members, asking for support of those less fortunate who struggle to make financial ends meet. Your contributions to our WECare program help many families each year.

We are again asking for your support this month. With your September electric bill, you will find a donation card to help support your friends and neighbors. For more information on the benefits of this program, visit our WECARE program news story.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your cooperative, please call or stop by the office.

Paul Titus
Interim General Manager

It is my privilege to address Wasco Electric Cooperative members as interim general manager.

I have been a lifelong resident of the mid-Columbia area, as have my wife and daughter. I was raised in Lyle, Washington, and have lived in The Dalles the past 24 years.

I understand the rural landscape of the communities the cooperative serves.

I have officiated high school basketball since 2000 and enjoyed being part of the game with the players, coaches and fans of the local schools through the good and bad calls.

I have an electrical engineering degree from Washington State University and have worked for consumer-owned electric utilities for 26 years. I began as an engineering tech and advanced to other positions, such as system engineer, principal engineer, and manager of engineering and operations. These positions have led me to have positive interactions while meeting the needs of consumers and members, and understanding the relationships among all departments that make the cooperative run smoothly.

Wasco Electric is committed to delivering reliable and safe power to its members. This means increased investment in the co-op’s employees and infrastructure. There are many challenges to day-to-day operations, including inflation, supply chain limitations, wildfires and extreme weather events.

I look forward to leading Wasco Electric Cooperative through this transition period.

Paul Titus
Interim General Manager

General Manager Submits Resignation

Ned Ratterman, general manager of Wasco Electric Cooperative, has resigned as of June 15, 2023.

Ned came to Wasco Electric in September 2021. His extensive background in the electric cooperative business provided the cooperative the ability to continue with its strategic plan and improvement of its systems.

Under Ned’s leadership, WEC made many notable strategic achievements, including making significant progress on a land purchase to expand the co-op’s operations facility and provide space for its future growth.

Ned made great progress moving forward with improving WEC’s automated meter system to bring more reliability and safety to the co-op. He leaves an exceptionally talented team in place and the co-op in an excellent position for its continued service to Wasco Electric’s cooperative family.

Ned’s dedication to the electric cooperative business as WEC’s general manager will be sincerely missed. The president of Wasco Electric, on behalf of the board of directors, expresses his appreciation of Ned and his contribution to Wasco Electric and wishes him every success for his future.

Wasco Electric Cooperative has begun the process of locating and appointing a new general manager.

Nesting Conflicts Are Not Straightforward

Dear Member,

One ongoing challenge for our operations department is handling bird nesting issues on our poles or in proximity to our lines. To many, the logical action would be to remove nests. We wish it were that simple.

All migratory birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. More than 1,000 species of birds are protected by the act. Nearly every bird you encounter is protected from human interaction, whether that be a bothersome crow or magpie, a stately bald eagle or a magnificent trumpeter swan.

Because they are protected, we cannot remove birds or nests without permission and oversight. Nor do we wish to. We prefer to enlist the expertise of USFWS staff to oversee our actions in this realm.

Some species are not easily discouraged and rebuild in an astonishingly short timeframe. Enter the tenacious osprey. Above is a photo of an osprey nest that caused
an outage. If crews are contacted about this type of outage, they first must spend
considerable time finding the problem. When that location is remote, the outage can last a long time.

An osprey is known to build one of the most troublesome nests for utilities, often
including wire, bailing twine, large pieces of sagebrush and other items not wanted near electric lines. They build nests quickly, even if the nest has been removed before.

Efforts must be continually directed toward identification of nests of all species before they are active in the spring. We plan to have subsequent interaction with authorities who can work with us to develop ongoing plans to minimize power line/bird conflicts.

Rest assured, Wasco Electric Cooperative will work with the USFWS to identify and mitigate risks to birds and our system moving forward. We will supply identification and documentation concerning nesting locations to biologists to help develop comprehensive plans to minimize negative consequences for animals and humans.

For now, please understand we are in a never-ending process that is anything but simple.

Thank you,
General Manager Ned Ratterman