To the editor:

I live in a neighborhood that has underground power lines. But I have a generator because the power goes out at my house just like it does for all of us on Whidbey.

Apparently water is the enemy of underground power lines, just as wind is for the overhead lines. And when the overhead lines that feed my neighborhood go down, my underground lines won’t light a single bulb.

Of course when the supply line from the mainland is down, we all lose power regardless of who owns it or maintains it. I suspect that would be true even if we owned it via a PUD. I think the real issue is the source of power. Without the ability to generate power right here on the island, we will always be at the mercy of other power vendors.

Some are confident that a PUD would result in lower prices. But most of us will acknowledge that we are experiencing increased demand for power with diminishing resources; a circumstance that is never conducive to lower prices. So I suspect that we would really only be able to negotiate smaller increases in prices, and would not likely ever enjoy any actual reduction in our power bills with an island-wide PUD.

If we could generate power right here on the island, I could be in favor of a local PUD. But I don’t think that creating another government bureaucracy will actually increase reliability or reduce the price of power. I predict a lot of ratepayer dollars will chase after unmet expectations for a long time if we do that.

If you disagree, please consider our Washington State Public Utilities Commission. What do they do that warrants them spending our money? If they were doing their job, maybe we could be confident that we are getting a fair deal on power.

Admittedly, creating another revenue-consuming bureaucracy to offset the failure of an existing bureaucracy is the Washington way to do things. As for me, I will vote against a PUD.

Stan Walker

Freeland