Pacific Power says ‘enhanced safety settings’ to blame for many of the frequent outages 

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news 

More than 60 people gathered in the shadow of Talent City Hall on Tuesday to speak their minds about long and frequent power outages in the area. 

“It’s been a week since we’ve had a power outage, but I had to set it up for my husband just in case. I got out my portable oxygen tank and made sure he had water and those things. And that’s something that is on my mind all the time,” said Cheryl Lashley.

The frequency of lost power has been compounded by an opaque stance from Pacific Power. The company did not begin releasing information until long after the problem was reshaping the lives of those in the Talent area, she said. 

“It took, what, three months? And it took pressure from our community and our elected folks to do something about it and it shouldn’t have been that way,” she said. 

Gathered in a semi-circle around Lashley as the event’s organizer, the majority of the crowd appeared over the age of 50. One resident said that an outage on the Fourth of July lasted more than 12 hours, that on another day the power was out twice in one day, and others times more than once in a week. Many shared elaborate systems of generators, batteries and extension cords they feel compelled to leave strung up around their homes.

Dana Lund said it takes him around 20 minutes to set up his system. The constant uncertainty of when outages will occur has meant not only leaving the cobbled-together system out, but he and his wife Pamela try to avoid leaving their home. When the power turns back on, Pamela immediately plugs in the battery that powers her CPAP machine to keep it charged. Dana turns the hot water heater back on, along with other systems being continually switched from one power source to another. 

Like others in attendance, Lund said he has invested in hardening his home to the constant outages. He purchased a $1,000 generator after doing the math that losing a freezer worth of food could cost as much $500. Others said they were talking to contractors from solar panel companies about creating back-up power solutions.

Pamela Lund expressed a concern echoed by many around her: Without power to use the wells their homes depend on for water, residents worried they could be defenseless in the face of fire. 

“If they shut off our water and there’s a fire and they can’t get there in time — I understand there’s an issue now with Jackson County Fire Department maybe being short-staffed because of budget, so we may have no help out there to fight a fire or water,” she said. 

Many of the outages have affected the Wagner Creek area and other rural neighborhoods where residents care for animals and land. 

“We have a farm, we have animals, and I can’t change out the water for them. … I have bottled water for them that I buy,” said Lacie Duval. 

Another woman mentioned schools in Talent previously sent kids home early during power outages, and said the problem is poised to persist into the school year. Someone else mentioned a recent Jimmy Buffet concert “where they had to tell everyone, ‘goodnight, sorry’” due to lack of power. Restaurants in Talent have sometimes been unable to operate during peak meal times. 

Dana Lund and others in attendance speculated the wildfire risk map and the shadow of the Almeda Fire may be driving the utility company to treat the power system in the Talent area differently. Some wondered if the systems in Talent were simply in bad need of repair and the for-profit company was using “band-aids” to protect its liability for wildfire.

“They’re worried about their liability, but what about ours?” a man asked from the crowd. 

Many residents stated they had recently received emails or phone calls from Pacific Power regarding the problem and there was a consensus the messages amounted to “get used to it.” 

In an official statement obtained by Ashland.news, the company reiterated previous statements that its systems are operated differently during fire season. “Enhanced safety settings” mean more outages as the system quickly shuts off at even small disturbances in the lines to avoid ignition, the statement explained. 

The statement also tallied the total outages in Talent at 40 this year, with between one and more than 2,000 customers in each outage. The majority have been on the 5R328 distribution line “which serves a more rural area.” The statement did not provide an answer for why the city of Talent, out of all its neighbors, has been inundated with outages. 

“Pacific Power has reviewed the outages that have occurred in Talent since the start of 2024, but no clear pattern has been identified. We understand and recognize the significant impact these outages are having on Talent-area customers and that the disruption of electric service is a hardship,” the statement said. 

Fielding questions from the crowd, Sen. Jeff Golden assured those concerned about the issue persisting into winter that, to his understanding, the system would not be set to turn off as suddenly once fire season ends. 

He also stated technical staff from the Public Utilities Commission are meeting with staff from Pacific Power. The commission is the only public body with jurisdiction over utilities and staff of that commission have the technical knowledge to judge if Pacific Power is really doing everything within their power to correct the problem. 

He reiterated his commitment to working with the company, the city, residents and his fellow legislators to solve the issue. He encouraged residents to maintain persistence while holding some patience for the power company. The problems at hand are beyond what any entity in the west is prepared to handle, he said. 

“Wildfire is presenting us with problems that are super tough to solve and government isn’t going to come in and solve them all. It’s beyond us. It’s going to take people coming together, you may be on the forefront of it,” he said. 

Lashley said her husband has lived in the Wagner Creek area over 50 years while she has enjoyed three decades there. 

“I love Talent so much. When we want to get something done, we do it. Just keep their feet to the fire,” she said. 

Golden advised affected residents to write no more than a one-page letter of their experiences to send to Pacific Power and the Public Utilities Commission. Lashley stated she would help organize the effort and collect letters, encouraging residents to stay connected to each other through the I Heart Talent and Talent News and Events Facebook groups. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected].

Related story: Talent residents to rally Tuesday for reliable power (Aug. 23, 2024)