CUB EDUCATIONAL FUND INCORPORATED
610 SW BROADWAY NO 400, PORTLAND, OR 97205 www.oregoncub.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: AS DIRECTED BY OREGON VOTERS IN 1984, THE OREGON CITIZENS' UTILITY BOARD (CUB) REPRESENTS THE INTERESTS OF OREGON'S RESIDENTIAL UTILITY CUSTOMERS BEFORE ADMINISTRATIVE, JUDICIAL, AND LEGISLATIVE BODIES. CUB WORKS AT THE INTERSECTION OF UTILITY POLICY AND REGULATION TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS, EMPOWER CONSUMERS, AND ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS AROUND UTILITY ISSUES THAT AFFECT OREGONIANS.

DECARBONIZATIONPAC COAL STUDIES: AFTER YEARS OF PRESSURE FROM CUB AND OTHER GROUPS, PACIFIC POWER AGREED TO EXAMINE THE ECONOMICS OF ITS COAL FLEET. THE STUDY FOUND THAT SEVERAL PLANTS ARE UNECONOMIC AND SETS THE STAGE TO BEGIN SHUTTING SOME OF THEM DOWN. SMART GRID TEST BED: CUB HAS BEEN WORKING WITH PGE ON ITS SMART GRID TEST BED WHICH LAUNCHED IN THE SUMMER. THE IDEA IS TO PAY CUSTOMERS TO ADJUST LOADS TO SUPPORT THE GRID RATHER THAN BUILDING NEW GAS-FIRED POWER PLANTS. PRICING CARBON BENEFITS CLIMATE AND CUSTOMERS: CUB SUPPORTED THE CLEAN ENERGY JOBS BILL (HB 2020) IN 2019 BECAUSE THE LEGISLATION WOULD HAVE ATTACHED A PRICE TO ECONOMY-WIDE CARBON EMISSIONS WHILE PROTECTING ENERGY UTILITY CUSTOMERS. THE BILL PROPOSED AN ENFORCEABLE AND DECLINING CAP ON CARBON EMISSIONS, TARGETING AN OVERALL REDUCTION OF 80 PERCENT BELOW 1990 LEVELS BY 2050, AND ESTABLISHED A MARKETPLACE TO HELP EMITTERS MEET THEIR ANNUAL OBLIGATIONS. CUB ADVOCATED FOR LOW-INCOME NATURAL GAS CUSTOMER PROTECTIONS AND SUPPORTED MEASURES TO OFFSET POTENTIAL COST INCREASES TO DRIVERS AT THE PUMP. HB 2020 NARROWLY LOST IN 2019, BUT CUB WILL CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE WITH KEY LEGISLATORS, UTILITIES, AND OTHER ALLIES ON FUTURE PROPOSALS BECAUSE PRICING CARBON BENEFITS OUR CLIMATE AND UTILITY CUSTOMERS. MERGERSHYDRO ONE'S AVISTA MERGER REJECTED: AS 2019 BEGAN, HYDRO ONE, A CANADIAN ELECTRIC UTILITY PARTIALLY OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO, WAS STILL TRYING TO PURCHASE AVISTA UTILITIES. THAT JANUARY, HOWEVER, THE MERGER WAS REJECTED BY IDAHO AND WASHINGTON. CUB HAD BEEN A LEADING VOICE OBJECTING TO THE DEAL AFTER THE NEWLY ELECTED PREMIER OF ONTARIO DECIDED TO FIRE THE CEO AND INTERFERE IN THE HYDRO ONE'S OPERATIONS.NW FIBER COMMITS TO IMPROVE FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS: CUB AND OTHER PARTIES REACHED AN AGREEMENT TO SUPPORT NW FIBER'S ACQUISITION OF FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS. FRONTIER IS A TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY THAT PROVIDES PRIMARILY VOICE AND BROADBAND SERVICE TO SOME PARTS OF THE PORTLAND METRO AREA AND LARGE SECTIONS OF RURAL OREGON. FRONTIER WAS HEAVILY IN DEBT AND WAS NOT UPGRADING ITS RURAL BROADBAND NETWORK. CUB PUSHED TO GET NW FIBER TO MAKE BINDING COMMITMENTS TO INVEST IN FIBER-BASED BROADBAND, INCLUDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN INVESTMENT IN RURAL COMMUNITIES. RATE CASESCASCADE RATE HIKE CUT: CASCADE IS A NATURAL GAS UTILITY SERVING CENTRAL AND EASTERN OREGON. IT WAS REQUESTING A 5 PERCENT RESIDENTIAL RATE INCREASE DUE TO INCREASED INVESTMENT IN ITS DISTRIBUTION PIPES. CUB WAS ABLE TO REDUCE THE INCREASE TO LESS THAN 3 PERCENT BY ENSURING THAT THE BENEFITS OF LOWER CORPORATE TAX RATES WERE PASSED THROUGH TO CUSTOMERS. AVISTA RATE HIKE CUT: AVISTA, A NATURAL GAS UTILITY SERVING SOUTHERN AND EASTERN OREGON, SOUGHT AN 8 PERCENT RESIDENTIAL RATE INCREASE. MUCH OF THE CAUSE WAS THE NEED TO REPLACE PIPE THAT IS BEGINNING TO FAIL, BUT THE COMPANY WAS ALSO ASKING FOR AN INCREASE IN PROFIT MARGIN. CUB WAS ABLE TO PUSH BACK ON THE PROFIT MARGIN ISSUE AND WIN OTHER CHANGES THAT LOWERED THE INCREASE TO 4.5 PERCENT.FAIRNESS AND EQUITY IN BROADBAND AND TELECOM SERVICESWHEN OREGON VOTERS FORMED CUB IN 1984, THE OREGON PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION (PUC) REGULATED TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES AS MONOPOLY UTILITIES. LANDLINE TELEPHONE SERVICE IS STILL IN USE TODAY, BUT CUSTOMERS CONTINUE TO CHOOSE, WHEN THEY CAN, BROADBAND-BASED SERVICES DELIVERED BY LARGELY UNREGULATED COMPANIES. BUT THIS MEANS CONSUMERS FACE NEW DIGITAL EQUITY AND PRIVACY ISSUES.IN 2019, CUB ADVOCATED FOR LEGISLATION TO PROTECT AND REDUCE COSTS FOR LANDLINE CUSTOMERS; PROVIDE RELIABLE FUNDING FOR BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLANNING FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES; EMPOWER CONSUMERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES WITH THE NECESSARY TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO REPAIR BROADBAND-ENABLED EQUIPMENT; AND PROTECT ALL OREGONIANS' DIGITAL PRIVACY. THESE PROPOSALS FAILED DUE TO STRONG INDUSTRY OPPOSITION, BUT CUB REMAINS DETERMINED. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE POLICIES THAT LOWER COSTS FOR LANDLINE TELEPHONE CUSTOMERS; CONNECT RURAL COMMUNITIES WITH 21ST CENTURY BROADBAND CAPABILITY; ENSURE CONSUMERS' RIGHT TO REPAIR THEIR DEVICES; AND PROTECT OREGONIAN'S DIGITAL PRIVACY BECAUSE FAIRNESS AND EQUITY IN BROADBAND AND TELECOM SERVICES BENEFITS CUSTOMERS. CUB AUTHORED HB 3065 WITH REPRESENTATIVE PAM MARSH (ASHLAND) TO DEFEND LANDLINE TELEPHONE CUSTOMERS FROM PROPOSED CENTURYLINK LEGISLATION THAT SOUGHT TO ABANDON THEIR AND OTHER TELEPHONE COMPANIES' CARRIER OF LAST RESORT (COLR) OBLIGATION TO OREGON CUSTOMERS. CUB'S SUCCESSFUL LEGISLATIVE ALTERNATIVE CALLED FOR A COLR POLICY REVIEW BY THE OREGON PUC WITH A REQUIRED COMMITMENT TO PROTECT RURAL, OLDER ADULT, AND LOW-INCOME CUSTOMERS. CUB WILL WORK HARD TO ENSURE THAT THESE COMMITMENTS ARE KEPT AND LOOKS FORWARD TO PARTICIPATING IN THE 2020 PROCEEDING. EDUCATION- 9TH ANNUAL ENERGY POLICY CONFERENCE CLEAN ENERGY COMMUNITIES/RELIABLE SYSTEMS- QUARTERLY NEWSLETTERS/ANNUAL REPORT- 88 BLOGS ON CUB'S WEBSITE

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