ENERGY MATTERS: How long can we take status quo for granted?

When it comes to energy, whether it be gasoline, electricity or natural gas, we consumers want to know it's going to be there and that it's going to arrive at a reasonable cost.

Beyond that, we don't think much about it. We take energy for granted. And well we should. This is, after all, the 21st century. If there's anything the 20th century taught us, it's that energy will be there — provided, of course, that it's not deregulated. The Enron debacle taught us that.

We don't often think about how long the resources that give us energy will last. We haven't had to.

Can we depend on fossil fuels? For how long? If stability in the Middle East is a concern, we'll just consider drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

What about natural gas? Or the dams that give us most of our electricity?

We haven't had to think much about the energy we use, where it comes from or how long it will last. We take it for granted. And we don't look for alternatives.

Unless prices spike.

About two years ago, with gasoline, electricity and natural gas prices soaring, people actually started talking about the need to find new, renewable sources of energy. There was even some talk of harnessing the infamous wind in Union County.

Energy prices were taking a bite out of everyone's budget. But we got used to it. The talk fell by the wayside. Then last summer and fall, prices spiked again. Thoughts of finding renewable energy sources surfaced again, but to a lesser degree.

The fact of the matter is that finding and harnessing renewable energy requires investment. As a nation, and as consumers, we're not willing to make that investment.

I fear that we're going to live to regret it. Or at least our children and grandchildren will.

Energy plays such a vital role in our lives. Its cost impacts everything we do. Its volatility leads to uncertainty. Yet few of us really care.

In our area, as long as Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative keeps the power flowing at a fairly reasonable cost, few of us are likely to think much about what the future holds. No reason to be proactive, to explore alternatives. No one is demanding it.

OTEC doesn't have many conservation or renewable energy programs outside of what Bonneville Power Administration provides. Even the co-op's green power initiative has, for the most part, fallen on deaf ears. Only 277 of us pay a little extra for green power.

The co-op's mantra is to provide the most reliable service at the most reasonable cost. OTEC does that. The co-op operates reliably and, as far as we know, efficiently. As a member-owned cooperative that is not subject to Oregon public meetings laws nor PUC regulation, it flies just below the radar of public scrutiny.

That concerns me.

Members are represented by a board of directors elected on a rotating basis. In the 10 years that I've been a member of OTEC, I've yet to see an "outsider'' elected to the board. New directors have been appointed by the board to fill unexpired terms. Challengers in elections don't fare well.

That, too, concerns me.

This year, incumbent Ralph Ward faces three challengers. Ward seems like a pleasant man who has the best interest of OTEC and its members at heart.

He recites the mantra, and I'm sure he means it. Reliable service and reasonable rates. What more could we as members want?

I might be alone on this, but I'd like my electric cooperative to begin looking to the future — to think about and encourage more conservation, to explore possibilities for renewable energy within its territory, to consider ways that might help sustain this cooperative should the status quo falter. And, for heaven's sake, to solicit and encourage members' input at board meetings.

After listening to three of the candidates at a forum Wednesday, I'm convinced that Randy Joseph would provide new energy to OTEC, or at least to the board. He'd like to see the co-op explore ideas for the future, enhance its role in economic development and at least look at options for renewable energy. Who knows what might be possible for Oregon's largest electric cooperative.

When it comes to energy, there are no clear answers. But one thing is certain, complacency won't provide any long-term solutions.

Ted Kramer is editor of The Observer. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it