Bonneville Pay Adjustment

Summary#

This bill lets the Secretary of Energy set the pay for the Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and for BPA employees so their pay is comparable to similar jobs at consumer-owned utilities in the Western Interconnection. The new pay rules would start in the first pay period beginning 6 months after the bill becomes law. The Secretary must base pay decisions on an annual survey of prevailing compensation at those utilities and must consider the BPA’s approved general and administrative budget. The bill says the Secretary should be mindful of the need for experience, strategic vision, and accountability. For BPA employees the Secretary must also consider education, experience, level of responsibility, geographic differences, and recruitment and retention needs. The bill also removes the entry for the BPA Administrator from section 5316 of title 5, United States Code.

What it means for you#

  • For the BPA Administrator and BPA staff: their pay could be adjusted to be similar to pay at consumer-owned utilities in the Western Interconnection.
  • For the Secretary of Energy: the Secretary must run or rely on an annual pay survey and set pay levels consistent with the BPA’s approved budget.
  • For electricity customers and the public: the bill text does not provide direct information about changes to electricity rates or service.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on the total cost or savings from this bill. The bill requires pay adjustments to be consistent with the BPA’s approved annual general and administrative budget, but it does not include a cost estimate.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.