11.02.01

Senator Maria Cantwell Praises New Power Contract that Protects Over 900 Family Wage Jobs in Cowlitz County

WASHINGON, DC - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today praised the Cowlitz County Public Utility District (PUD) and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for renegotiating the power contract for Foster Farms, a poultry processing plant in Kelso, Washington. Foster Farms' new contract will enable the company to continue operations as usual in Cowlitz County, protecting hundreds of jobs with good pay and benefits.

"This is a tremendous victory for the over 900 people who benefit from the good jobs and benefits that Foster Farms provides," Cantwell said. "Cowlitz County is designated a 'distressed economy' by Washington state with an unemployment rate of 10.5 percent - one of the highest in the state. These family wage jobs are important to the local economy as well as those who work at Foster Farms."

When Foster Farms opened the plant in 1998 its electricity costs were $20 per megawatt hour. In June 2000, high market prices for electricity drove Foster Farms' power rates to $147 per megawatt hour increasing its yearly power cost from $200,000 to over $2 million. Under the new contract, Foster Farms will pay approximately $30 per megawatt hour for power.

In August, at the encouragement of Cantwell, representatives from Foster Farms, Cowlitz PUD, and BPA rededicated themselves to negotiating a new power contract to keep the plant open. "I am pleased that Foster Farms, Cowlitz PUD, and BPA came together to negotiate this deal. It was hard work, but the community will benefit from the continued operation of Foster Farms."