Fighting for Washington Ratepayers
Under direct questioning by Senator Murray, Josh Bolten, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), defended President Bush’s proposal to levy what is essentially a $1 billion tax on Northwest ratepayers over the next two years alone. “I think particularly the customers of BPA will find that we’re talking about a very modest increase in the subsidized rates that they now enjoy,” Bolten said.
Senator
Murray defended Washington ratepayers and told Bolten that there was nothing “modest” about the effects this plan would have on Washington families and businesses. “A twenty percent increase in the cost of heating our homes, providing electricity to many businesses who rely on it, is going to cripple the economy in the Pacific Northwest,” Senator Murray said. “We pay the rates for our electricity out there. And I’ll tell you what, the Northwest is not going to stand there and take this. We are going to fight back.”
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Murray's Questioning
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