Citizen Activists Work to Create a "Public Utility District" on the Eastside
Looking for a way to reduce our local carbon emissions in a BIG way? You may like to learn about a group of activated citizens working to create a “public utility district“ or “PUD” for our electricity on the Eastside of King County. The 1st step to creating a PUD is gathering thousands of hand written signatures to get the initiative on the November Ballot for a vote. As you can imagine, gathering hand written signatures during this time of social distancing has been extra challenging. This motivated group of citizen volunteers behind the campaign has not let this stop them! Barbra Chevalier a dynamo and concerned Mom is mailing out petitions to be passed around households and close contacts for safe signatures. Petitions can then be mailed back even if they are not filled up! The campaign includes a stamped return envelope, so you don't need to go any farther than your mailbox! Anyone who signs must be a registered voter who lives in the proposed PUD area (Mercer Island to the eastern King County border + northern King County border to Newcastle/North Bend/I-90). 27,000 valid signatures from registered voters in the proposed PUD are needed to qualify. This is not a small feat and help is needed! If it doesn’t make the ballot this year we will need to wait until 2022 to try again. You can sign up to get a petition or print one out here https://ekc-pud.org/sign-the-petition/
Why go to all of this trouble gathering signatures especially during a pandemic? Unlike most of the electric utilities in Washington State, PSE is a privately owned for profit company. This means 10% of their profits go to PSE shareholders, instead of to lowering customer rates. But even more importantly for us nature lovers…PSE has gotten themselves tied up in fossil fuels. In fact 25%-30% of all emissions in the proposed area in East King County come from PSE. We can do better!!!
Learn more about how we can take power over our power and reduce our carbon emissions here https://ekc-pud.org/ When you look at the map of the proposed area you will notice we have well loved PUD’s to our East, West and North! And remember request a petition if you want to lend a hand!