When I think about the incompetent mess that the federal government has become, I’m left to conclude that we must, locally, taken care of ourselves.  No one is looking out for us, and the thought of a foreign private equity fund taking over our local power supply ought to scare us stiff.  We’re about to become a third world country.

I also think about the fact that the County PUDs along the Columbia River in Eastern Washington have been providing safe and reliable power at below-market rates for many generations now.  The community’s taxpayers—not some shady foreign private equity fund—owns the electrical system. 

PUD:  What are you waiting for?

It will be a tough fight, though.  No doubt PSE’s top brass stand to cash in bigtime if the Macquarie sale goes through, and will fight like rabid weasels.

And check out the number of congressmen who take big bucks from PSE...so expect no help from Congress. 

Then again, look how the feds have managed Iraq and our economy.  With friends like that....

Interesting that the poll didn’t provide any information about what it would COST for the PUD to take over for PSE.  Think millions, tens of millions of dollars, just for starters, to acquire assets.  More millions to assemble the trucks, train the people, build the bureaucracy, etc., and be on call for outages 24/7/365.  And after we’ve spent all that through higher taxes, what will we have?  Maybe a system as reliable as today.  Maybe.  But with this current PUD?  Highly unlikely.  When have you ever seen government take over something and provide better service more cheaply?

walker: yes, actually, we have seen it work out better when the power was owned by a public PUD.  The Columbia River PUDs took over private power in various cases because the local citizenry was getting gouged and the profits exported.  Tell the truth Walker, you are an employee of PUD who stands to line your pockets with the future of the good people of Skagit County, selling us out to foreign corporate raiders.  Quisling.

“Power”:  Isn’t that just they way—call others’ names when they disagree with you.  Those Columbia River PUDs were formed MANY years ago.  there hasn’t been an electric PUD formed in Washington in 60 years.  I don’t know who Walker works for (not the PUD as you suggest, though I’m sure you meant PSE).  But he makes good points.  Don’t forget it was the PUBLIC power folks who gave us WPPSS.

By the way, “power”, I noticed you didn’t adress Walker’s cost issue.  Nor the ineptness of the current PUD, which can’t even deliver what it already has on its plate.

Thanks Richie.  You’re right, I’m not an employee of the PUD or PSE, I just call them as I see them.  And I think this gambit to create an electric PUD is more of a powerbuilding than a powerproviding exercise.  The PUD has stars in its eyes.  Their consultant will say this is a great idea because, after all, the consultant is a member of numerous public power associations.  But when it all comes down to it we would all be paying far more for, at best, equal service.

Walker, why don’t you call ’em as you see ’em at a Tuesday afternoon PUD meeting? That goes for you, too, richiem999. Come tell the PUD commissioners and the manager about their ineptness. I’m certain that they will beg for your forgiveness.... or something like that.

First of all, PSE was already owned by many foreign investors, whether being foreign to our state or country. They are a publicly traded company.

Second: The new owners can’t charge rates that are any higher than the WUTC would allow. Electricity is a regulated industry. The WUTC regualates the intrastate electric rates, and the FERC regulates interstate and wholesale rates.

Any time an electric utility wants to increase rates, they must submit to the WUTC, which then triggers a rate case. During the rate case there are many interveners who can also argue why there should not be a rate increase. Most retail customers are represented by their state’s attorney general.

The electric industry is a capital intensive industry, so capital intensive that it is considered a natural monopoly, thus regulated by state and federal government. Regulation is considered a taking under the takings clause of the constitution, and that makes the electric companies able to receive just compensation through rates which help them recover their capital costs and earn a return on equity or just and reasonble profit.

Skagit PUD and everyone who believes they would be better off with the PUD running the electric industry in Skagit County should think very hard about this.

Your rates will not change because of new ownership. (Washington has some of the lowest rates in the nation as far as the energy charges are concerned, averaging somewhere between 6 to 6.5 cents per kwh)

The Skagit Valley Herald has reported very poorly on this issue and whipped everyoned into a frenzy over the sale of PSE. Nothing will change. The new owners will still be required to provide safe and reliable service at regulated rates.

I also think the PUD may be a bit disingenuous in creating the impression that people throughout the county are completely buying this idea.  From what I heard of their “focus groups,” it was the PUD, not the participants, who really pushed the idea.  Secondly, the phone survey was biased—it was like asking people “how would you like a new car” without telling them they had to pay for it or what it would cost.

I think people in this county are smarter than the PUD gives them credit for—they will see this is just a “power trip” that will cost them big time.

Yeah, before you know it they’ll be putting fluoride in our electricity.

No to PUD’s power servicing plan - they cant even handle their water problems!

How is 79% of 300 people polled “an overwhelming majority of Skagit County voters”?  That sounds like an incredibly small sample to me.  I, for one, would oppose a PUD simply from the watching storm restoration efforts of Snohomish PUD.  Camano Island residents suffer long and hard during storms whereas PSE does a pretty good job of restoring service out here in the rural part of the county.  Their right of way maintenance efforts last summer paid off during this past storm season resulting in only one minor outage.  If Skagit PUD wants to provide me service, give me water, sewer, and natural gas.  I already have electrical service, so leave it alone.

This story is another example of today’s “journalism” in which a reporter grabs only those snippets of information to build a story that justifies an agenda.  Look at ALL the survey results, especially those the repoter chose to leave out—PSE received a favorable rating of 70%, the PUD 61%; 88% approved of the job PSE does in providing electrical service, and 84% approved of their efforts to resore power after storms.  Before being asked loaded questions about ownership of PSE, 46% said they wouldn’t switch to another utility if they had a choice, 29% said they would switch and 25% said they didn’t know. 

MOST IMPORTANT, people taking this poll were told NOTHING about what it would cost for the PUD to take over electricity service from PSE.

What do you think the results would be if people were told the truth—that it will cost tens of millions, and more likely hundreds of millions of dollars, and at the end of the day they will likely pay higher rates and have poorer service.

The PUD can “spin” this all they want, but this gambit of theirs is all about empire building and power GRABBING, and the people of Skagit County will pay dearly if they get sucked in.  Count on it.

Why don’t you show up for a PUD Commissioners’ meeting some Tuesday afternoon and bounce your concerns off of the manager, commissioners, and staff instead of spouting off in the relative safety of this forum?

the svh survey is wrong!!!

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