S.L. to get some utility chiefs

A MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. executive on Tuesday reaffirmed the company's commitment to moving senior-level PacifiCorp management positions from Portland, Ore., to Salt Lake City.

Mark Moench, a senior vice president at MidAmerican, told members of the Utah Committee of Consumer Services that the company would move top-level positions to Utah as they opened.

Moench said those positions could include any number of senior-level positions, such as general counsel, chief financial officer or senior vice president of operations.

"We are all well aware that most of the senior officer positions are in Portland," Moench said. "Every time one of those positions opens it will be evaluated as to whether it makes sense to move that to Utah. There is not a position that is off the table at that level."

In May, MidAmerican announced it would acquire PacifiCorp, which operates in Utah as Utah Power and is internationally owned by ScottishPower.

State regulators will hold hearings over the proposed acquisition Dec. 12-16. Public comments will be heard on Dec. 13.

Moench told the Deseret Morning News that he did not know of any PacifiCorp executives at present who had given notice to leave the company.

After its merger with Utah Power and Light in 1989, PacifiCorp moved hundreds of Utah jobs to Oregon, including senior management positions.

In June, Utah's consumer committee said it would push for a greater PacifiCorp corporate presence in Utah, even suggesting that the utility should relocate its headquarters here.

At that time, Franz Amussen, one of six members of Utah's consumer committee, said he believed PacifiCorp had violated its 1989 merger promise to maintain an executive and personnel presence in Utah.

"I'm not looking for mid-level executives. I think we should have high-level executives in Utah," Amussen said. "I think we should have the CFO, the CEO in Utah. We have a very small staff of people, and we're the largest revenue generator for PacifiCorp. I would expect a presence commensurate with the revenues that we generate for PacifiCorp."

On Tuesday, Amussen pressed Moench, seeking a definite answer as to whether senior executive positions would be moved to Utah.

"I'm confused," Amussen said. "At first you said senior management will be moved to Utah. Now, you're saying you will evaluate it."