POWER OF ATTORNEY


         KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and
appoints C. J. Rue, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

         (1)      execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the
                  undersigned's capacity as an officer of and/or director of
                  and/or beneficial owner of greater than ten percent of a class
                  of equity securities registered under Section 12 of the
                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
                  Act"), of Northwest Natural Gas Company, an Oregon corporation
                  (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4, and 5 in accordance with Section
                  16(a) of the Exchange Act and the rules thereunder;

         (2)      do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the
                  undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete
                  and execute any such Forms 3, 4, or 5 and timely file any such
                  form with the United States Securities and Exchange
                  Commission, any stock exchange or similar authority, and the
                  Company; and

         (3)      take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection
                  with the foregoing which, in the opinion of such
                  attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to, in the best interest
                  of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it being
                  understood that the documents executed by such
                  attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this
                  Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such
                  terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in
                  such attorney-in-facts's discretion.

         The undersigned hereby grants such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers
herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or
could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or revocation,
hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or such
attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue of this Power of Attorney and the rights and powers herein
granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorney-in-fact, in
serving in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, is not assuming, nor
is the Company assuming, any of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply
with Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

         This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the
undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the Company,
unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered to the
foregoing attorney-in-fact.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney
to be executed as of the 27 day of August, 2002.


                                                     /s/ Tod R. Hamachek
                                                 ------------------------------
                                                         Tod R. Hamachek