Good picks for PUC.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The Oregon Public Utility Commission has weathered a couple of rough years. It approved large rate hikes by Portland General Electric, and was deeply embroiled in the West Coast energy crisis. So with two vacancies on the three-member PUC, Gov. Ted Kulongoski had an opportunity to remake the commission but needed to exercise his power with great care. He did just that.

The governor appointed 47-year-old lawyer and former legislator Ray Baum of La Grande and 51-year-old former Oregon Department of Energy director and current top PUC staff member John Savage. These are solid choices.

Baum, who served four terms in the Oregon House, is a Republican who will bring an Eastern Oregon perspective and a reputation for dispute resolution to the commission. He will succeed Joan Smith, who retired in May. Savage, a Democrat, will assume the seat now held by PUC Chairman Roy Hemmingway, who retires at the beginning of next month.

Holdover PUC commissioner Lee Beyer of Springfield, a Democrat, is also a former legislator. By law, no more than two of the three commissioners can be members of the same political party.

Baum's legislative service and his legal background should prove valuable as the newly constituted PUC moves forward. And Savage's long experience in energy-related matters at the Department of Energy and, for the past 18 months, overseeing the regulatory staff at the PUC should prove equally valuable.

One of the biggest challenges that could face the PUC is the fate of PGE. Owned by the bankrupt Enron Corp., the utility could be sold. It might also become a publicly owned utility through condemnation by the city of Portland or some other public entity.

In any event, the PUC will be in good hands as Ray Baum, John Savage and Lee Beyer face the future together as Oregon's top utility regulators.