/h/WiseLight226
Replace PSE with Snopud for Fairer Electric Rates
Since moving here I had snopud. Nothing really to complain about, during the summers when the portable ac is on all the time, electric gets to around $100 for that month. Recently moved to an an area PSE covers and I've been surprised with the month bill. I'm using less electricity every month at my new place, but I'm paying almost 70-80% more. Are people seriously OK with this?!
This is an equity issue, plain and simple. Low-income families in PSE territory are paying a regressive premium of $300–$600 a year just because their utility is investor-owned, and that's a structural injustice we can fix.
The real question is whether the numbers pencil out. Acquisition and condemnation costs could be huge, and we need a detailed cost-benefit analysis before asking voters to approve a new PUD.
Other communities have done this successfully, but it took years of organizing. Boulder’s municipalization effort dragged on for a decade, and Long Island’s takeover required state legislation—so this is feasible but not quick.
What happens if PSE fights back with a lawsuit and ties this up for a decade? That’s real legal risk, and ratepayers could end up paying for both systems during the transition.
This unlocks lower rates, local control, and faster decarbonization. Snopud already has the expertise and scale to absorb the territory—imagine what we could do with unified public power across the county.