The Touchstone Energy Hot Air Balloon carries the U.S. flag during the Walla Walla Balloon Stampede in 2010. Benton REA will sponsor the balloon at the Great Prosser Balloon Rally September 22-24. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOUCHSTONE ENERGY COOPERATIVES

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Hydro Flows Here PAGE 8 n Harvest Safety Near Power Lines PAGE 28

Benton REA

The 28th Annual Great Prosser Balloon Rally As summer starts to fade and the leaves on Market Street turn brown, The Great Prosser Balloon Rally takes over the town of Prosser for a weekend. September 22-24, the skies of Prosser will be filled with the massive,

colorful balloons that mark the transition to fall.

The annual event started in 1990 when a couple of hot air balloon pilots drove through Prosser and realized the cli-mate made the small town an ideal area for flying their

balloons.Because the pilots lacked

any help to drive a chase vehicle, the adventure after the balloon flight was almost as exciting as being in the air. The pilots hitchhiked across town to get back to their cars, in order to fold up their bal-loons and head to the next takeoff sight.

The balloonists didn’t for-get their first flight in Prosser, so they met with locals to set up a way they could come to Prosser and fly their bal-loons every year. Ever since

that meeting, a volunteer organization run by Prosser residents has ensured the rally continues.

The weekend now features the morning launches from the airport, the Night Glow, the Kid Zone and the Harvest Festival.

The morning launches take place as the sun is rising on the days of the rally, and attendees are welcome to get up close to the balloons as they are preparing for takeoff. This is a great photo oppor-tunity because Prosser’s rally is unique in its ability to let spectators be so involved with the launches.

Since the very first rally, the rally committee has organized a photography

Every year beautiful hot air balloons and spectators alike flock to the small community of Prosser to enjoy the fall weather and views of colorful balloons over the valley.

Photos courtesy of Chris Cooke as well as the Cooperative Balloon Associates

Above: Balloons fly over the Yakima River during the 2016 Great Prosser Balloon Rally. Photo by Chris Cooke. Left: Pilot Cheri White inflates the Touchstone Energy Hot Air Balloon before sunrise at the Walla Walla Balloon Stampede.

By Taylor Beightol

4 S E P T E M B E R 2017 Benton REA

competition.“We used to have people

send in their photo entries on CDs or paper, but now we can use Instagram and Facebook to have people sub-mit photos for the competi-tion,” said Morgan Everett, Great Prosser Balloon Rally Chairman. There are mul-tiple categories that photographers can win, but the grand prize is awarded to the winner of the best photo overall.

“The winners of the different categories get memorabilia from the bal-loon rally, but the best photo overall gets used on all of the marketing material for the next year, and the person who took the photo gets to be the official photographer for the next rally,” said Everett.

Besides the sunrise balloon launches, the Night Glow is the rally’s other crowd pleaser. This Saturday evening event, includes a Kid Zone and allows attendees to see the hot air balloons in a different light once the sun has set.

The newly added Kid Zone is a partnership between the Great Prosser Balloon Rally organization and the Boys & Girls Club of Benton County. The Boys & Girls Club will provide entertainment, boun-cy castles, games and music for kids waiting for the Night Glow to start.

Weather is always a fac-tor, so the Great Prosser Balloon Rally has started using their official Facebook page to communicate with rally attendees. If the weather will affect the bal-loons’ ability to fly for

that day’s event, you can find out at Facebook.com/GreatProsserBalloonRally.

This year, Benton REA is sponsoring the Touchstone Energy Hot Air Balloon at the Great Prosser Balloon Rally.

There are 750 electric co-ops across the nation who are a part of Touchstone Energy,

which serves as a mar-keting tool for rural electrical co-ops like

Benton REA. The Touchstone bal-loon makes its way to annual

meetings as well as community festivals,

to help promote its members.“Each day the Touchstone

Energy Hot Air Balloon is used we donate money to a philanthropic cause, so this program does a lot of good for the communities it serves,” said Cheri White, Touchstone Energy Hot Air Balloon pilot. The local organization to receive the Touchstone Energy donation will be cho-sen by Benton REA employ-ees and announced on Benton REA’s Facebook page.

At the Great Prosser Balloon Rally the Touchstone balloon will not only partici-pate in the morning launches, but Benton REA will provide free tethered rides for its members who are attending the rally.

Members will be able to get into the balloon with White and go up to 50 feet into the air, to simulate the feeling of a hot air balloon ride, while still being tethered to the ground.

“This is going to be our first year in Prosser. I am excited to be there for the first time and to share the balloon with the members of Benton REA,” said White. ■

Benton REA

Pilot Cheri White prepares for lift off on a tethered ride with three junior balloon riders.

2017 Balloon Rally ScheduleFriday, Sept. 22Sunrise - Balloon Launches at Prosser Airport

Saturday, Sept. 23Sunrise - Balloon Launches at Prosser Airport

10 - 11 a.m. - Free Tethered Rides on the Touchstone Energy Hot Air Balloon at Prosser Airport

Sunday, Sept. 24Sunrise - Balloon Launches at Prosser Airport

Sunset - Night Glow and Kid Zone at Art Fiker Stadium

Harvest Festival All weekend at Prosser's Historic Downtown

S E P T E M B E R 2017 5www.BentonREA.org

Benton REA

Here in the Northwest, we appreciate clean air and clean energy.

Did you know that the hydropower system helps integrate wind and solar into the grid? Hydropower’s reliability and flexibility enables it to incorporate newer, more variable renewables into the Northwest energy mix. And, thanks to reservoirs created by hydropower facilities, millions of Northwest residents are able to recreate on the rivers each year. Learn about the benefits of hydropower at https://www.bpa.gov/goto/clean.

Photo by Chris Cooke - 2016 Great Prosser Balloon Rally

8 S E P T E M B E R 2017 Benton REABenton REA

Benton REA

Application Deadline: October 10, 2017

June 7-14, 2018

DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION AT BENTONREA.ORG

Benton REA is seeking two student delegates to be its representatives on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. High school sophomores and juniors whose

parents are Benton REA members are eligible to apply for this all-expense paid trip of a lifetime!

S E P T E M B E R 2017 25www.BentonREA.org

Benton REA

After working in a field on a neighbor’s farm, Jim Flach parked his equipment and stepped out of the vehicle. Sadly, Jim did not realize his equipment was touching an overhead power line, and he became a path for the electrical current as he placed his foot onto the ground. Jim received a severe electric shock that ultimately resulted in his death a few months later. Benton REA urges farm-ers to take the proper precautions when working around power lines.

“The rush to harvest can lead to

farmers working long days with little sleep,” cautions Kyla Kruse, communica-tions director of the Energy Education Council and its Safe Electricity program. “It is important to take time for safety. Before starting work, make sure to note the location of overhead power lines.”

To stay safe around overhead power lines, Safe Electricity urges farm opera-tors and workers to:

• Use a spotter when operating large machinery near power lines.

• Use care when raising augers or the

bed of grain trucks around power lines. • Keep equipment at least 10 feet from

power lines — at all times, in all direc-tions.

• Inspect the height of farm equipment to determine clearance.

• Always remember to lower exten-sions when moving loads.

• Never attempt to move a power line out of the way or raise it for clearance.

• If a power line is sagging or low, call Benton REA at 800-221-6987.

If contact is made with a power line,

Look Up for Harvest Hazards

28 S E P T E M B E R 2017 Benton REA

stay on the equipment. Make sure to warn others to stay away, and call 911. Do not leave until the utility crew says it is safe to do so. The only reason to exit is if the equipment is on fire. If this is the case, jump off the equipment with your feet together, without touching the ground and vehicle at the same time. Then, still keeping your feet together, hop or shuffle with your feet together to safety as you leave the area.

Some additional safety tips from Safe Electricity include:

• Do not use metal poles when break-ing up bridged grain inside and around grain bins.

• Always hire qualified electricians for any electrical issues.

• Do not use equipment with frayed cables.

“You need to double check, even triple check, to see what is above you,” says Marilyn Flach, Jim’s widow. His son Brett adds, “Be conscious of your surround-ings. You need to keep your eyes open and beware of overhead lines.”

For more electrical safety information, visit SafeElectricity.org. ■

Source: National Weather Service

If contact is made with a power line, stay on the equipment. Make sure to warn others to stay away, and call 911. Do not leave until the utility crew says it is safe to do so. The only reason to exit is if the equipment is on fire.

When Your Car Comes in Contact With a Power LineIf your car comes in contact with a power line, a state of panic may set in. Try to stay calm and follow these tips:

• Remain inside your vehicle and call 911. If you are in your vehicle, you are not part of electricity’s path, which always looks for the shortest way to the ground. Honk your horn to alert passersby.

• If someone stops to help, roll down the window and warn them not to touch the car or the power line. If you don’t have a cell phone, ask them to call 911 and contact the local electric utility immediately.

• Wait in your car until qualified electrical workers turn the power off and tell you it is safe to leave

the car.• If you have to leave the car

because of fire or other danger, open the door and jump away from the vehicle so no part of your body touches the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Make sure to jump with both feet together so that your feet land on the ground at the same time.

• After you land with both feet together, shuffle away, keeping both feet in contact with the ground constantly.

• Do not try to help someone from the vehicle. If you do, you may become a path for electricity and be injured or killed. ■

S E P T E M B E R 2017 29www.BentonREA.org

Board of TrusteesMichael Freepons, President, District 2

Connie Krull, Vice President, District 7

Mark Platt, Secretary/Treasurer, District 4

Buddy Treadway, District 1

Bob Evans, District 3

Tim Grow, District 5

Scott Fisher, District 6

Catherine Russell, District 8

Board MeetingsThe Board of Trustees meets the last Wednesday

of each month at 6 p.m.

General ManagerMichael J. Bradshaw

Management StaffDerek Miller, Engineering Manager

John Porter, Manager of Finance and Administration

Jeff Ekrut, Operations Manager

Jeff Bastow, I.T. Manager

Troy Berglund, Member Services Manager

Terry Mundorf, Attorney

HDR, Consulting Engineer

Blodgett, Mickelsen & Adamson, Auditor

Prosser Office 402 7th St., P.O. Box 1150Prosser, WA 99350Phone: 509-786-2913Fax: 509-786-0291

WA-7

Benton REAWA-7

Manager’s MessageDear Members,I’d like to thank Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Cathy McMorris Rodger (R-WA), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Greg Walden (R-OR) for standing up for affordable, reliable hydropower and introducing federal bill H.R. 3144. At their regular meeting, held on July 27, 2017, the Benton REA Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution to support the passage of H.R. 3144, which has been posted on www.BentonREA.org/my-services/energy-legislation/.

H.R. 3144 is proposed bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would maintain current salmon protection measures and federal hydro system operations in the 2014 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion (FCRPS BiOp) until a Court-ordered review of alternatives is complete.

Our representatives proposed this bill in response to the ruling of the U.S. District Court in Oregon that disregarded the current FCRPS BiOp approved by NOAA Fisheries and directed federal agencies to undertake a comprehensive review of hydro operations including an analysis of the removal, bypass or breaching of one or more of the four lower Snake River dams.

The federal agencies responsible for the management of the FCRPS include the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. BPA has spent $15.28 billion on infrastructure and fish miti-gation projects since 1978. The current BiOp proves that both dams and fish can coexist, since 97 percent of young salmon successfully make it past the dams.

H.R. 3144 is a common-sense solution to the Court’s ill-considered decision. First, it requests a full National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review of the hydro sys-tem by September 2022. Then, it mandates the adoption of a new salmon plan or BiOp based on the public NEPA process and the science it yields.

If H.R. 3144 is not passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, Northwest electric power costs could increase due to the execution of other options such as spilling water over the dams instead of gen-erating electricity, or modifying the dams which would restrict electrical generation.

Members of Benton REA receive 86 percent of their electricity from the FCRPS and rely upon the affordable, reliable and carbon-free energy produced by the Columbia and Snake river dams. Please join me in thanking our representatives on both sides of the aisle for working together to protect our dams. Sincerely,

Michael J. Bradshaw, General Managermikeb@bentonrea.org

West Richland Office6095 W. Van GiesenWest Richland, WA 99353Phone: 509-967-2921

Report an Outage: 509-786-2913Toll Free: 800-221-6987

www.BentonREA.org

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