PUD receives Enron money

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD commissioners will be presented with information on Monday about the utility receiving $77,940 from an Enron lawsuit settlement.

The settlement money wasn’t anything Grant PUD applied for, said Kathy Kiefer, a utility spokesperson, on Thursday.

A decision hasn’t been made on what to do with the money, she added.

Washington, California and Oregon settled with Enron for $1.52 billion in 2005, according to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.

Utilities located in Washington state were given nearly $6 million in a settlement after Enron was investigated for illegal trading.

The money must be used to cut down on heating costs for low-income homes or help weatherization programs, said Kristen Alexander, a spokesperson with the attorney general’s office.

By accepting the money, the utilities are saying they agree to use the funds in one of the two ways, Alexander added.

Instead of giving individuals pennies, the money is designated to be used for the greater good of the public, she explained.

“How fitting that Enron will pay to provide warmth to low-income families  and to help Washington residents make their homes more energy-efficient,” stated Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna.

Checks were mailed this week, from amounts starting at $565 to Alder Mutual Light Co., to as much as $2.1 million to Puget Sound Energy.

Other recipients and amounts include Big Bend Electric Cooperative, $424,067, Benton Rural Electric Association, $24,067, Chelan County PUD, $21,600, Douglas County PUD, $95,692 and Ellensburg Energy Services, $17,182.

A blue-ribbon committee of stakeholders and legislators selected Battelle and Washington State University (WSU) for grants from the settlement money.

More than $1.6 million goes toward a Battelle program for commercial building owners. They learn how to improve their structures for energy efficiency.

Washington State University uses more than $1.2 million for its extension energy program. Through the program, businesses learn energy-saving tips.