Cutting the Cost of Keeping Warm
A sweeping new public service commission order promises to slash freight rates for coal from the Roslyn mines, potentially saving state residents $50,000 annually.
Olympia, August 8—Figures on the shipments of coal over the Northern Pacific lines from the Roslyn group of mines on file in the office of the public service commission indicate that the proposed new rates issued by the commission, if put into effect by a final order, will mean an annual saving to consumers of approximately $50,000. The decision is the most sweeping coal rate order ever issued in the state and affects an output of 250,000 to 300,000 tons a year. Based on average coal shipments of previous years, the new rates will mean an annual saving to the three big cities, Seattle, Tacoma, and Spokane, of $31,500 a year. The commission has set August 21 as the date for a final hearing to consider any complaints against the new order and the new schedules submitted by the railroad to conform with the rate proposed.
“The decision is the most sweeping coal rate order ever issued in the state.”
Energy costs remain a critical point of civic contention in the Pacific Northwest. While the 1914 debate focused on coal freight rates from the Roslyn mines to urban centers, today's arguments have shifted to the pricing and reliability of electrical grids and renewable energy transitions.
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