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Home My WebLink AboutCONSENT Letters of support Mason PUD resilience JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CONSENT AGENDA REQUEST TO: Board of County Commissioners FROM: Greg Brotherton, Commissioner, District 3 DATE: November 3, 2025 Letters of support: Mason County PUD No. l's Grid Resilience Projects—Brinnon Mainline Replacement Project and Jorstad Substation Project STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Mason County PUD No. 1 will be applying for the next round of the Department of Energy's Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants and has asked the County for two letters of support. ANALYSIS: The grant will benefit the residents of Jefferson County on the Hood Canal as it will fund the replacement of aging power poles and upgrading the conductor along U.S. Highway 101 that feeds the Brinnon Community. The second project will benefit both Mason County and the rural community of Brinnon in south Jefferson County. The grant will fund the Grid Resilience Project which includes Phase Two of civil construction for their middle-mile substation at Jorstad Creek in Lilliwaup, WA. FISCAL IMPACT: No fiscal impact. RECOMMENDATION: Approve the attached letters of support for Mason County's PUD No.1 grant applications. 1V151kW ( D a Jos D. Peters, County Administrator Date roCN� sBoard of County Commissioners 0v't 1820 Jefferson Street C vo' PO Box 1220 cc Port Townsend, WA 98368 o Heather Dudley-Nollette,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3 S�II NG�S November 3,2025 Washington State Department of Commerce Washington Grid Resilience Program EPICGrants@commerce.wa.gov Re: Mason County PUD No. l's Grid Resilience Project- Brinnon Mainline Replacement Project Dear Selection Committee, The Board of Commissioners for Jefferson County would like to lend our support of Mason County PUD No. 1's Department of Energy's Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants application to fund their grid resilience project,which includes the replacement of aging power poles and upsizing of conductor along U.S. Highway 101 that feeds the Brinnon community. This project is important for Jefferson County residents on the Hood Canal because that area experiences frequent and long-lasting power outages due to the heavily treed terrain of U.S. Highway 101 and the Olympic National Forest.This stretch of line is vulnerable to natural hazards like wildfire, landslides,wind and snow events,and most commonly,fallen trees from the rainforest canopy. Building resilient infrastructure to mitigate tree contacts will help the PUD reduce customer outage hours annually and mitigate for identified wildfire risks. The PUD has taken steps to replace the aging distribution line and has made progress but due to the small,rural customer base,the time and expense to complete the work is cost prohibitive to the utility and it would take them close to a decade to complete the project.Utilizing grant programs, such as the Washington Grid Resilience Program ensures that this important work can be expedited without impacting customer household energy bills.All customers on the PUD 1 system will benefit from the increased resilience of PUD l's grid and from reducing pressure on electric rates. We hope you will agree and select Mason PUD l's project for funding.They have been steadfast in their grid hardening work and have been a good partner for Jefferson County. Mason PUD 1 has a proven track record of getting projects done on time and on budget and will be a worthy recipient of these grid resilience funds. Sincerely, Heather Dudley-Nollette, Dist. 1 Heidi Eisenhour,Dist. 2-Chair Greg Brotherton, Dist.3 Phone (360)385-9100 jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us CMV ,ON s1 . Board of County Commissioners 4w¢~ c° off, 1820 Jefferson Street 0 ti PO Box 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368 q ,co Eleather Dudley-Nollette,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3 `S/IING November 3,2025 Washington State Department of Commerce Washington Grid Resilience Program EPICGrants@commerce.wa.gov Re: Mason County PUD No. l's Grid Resilience Project-Jorstad Substation Dear Selection Committee, The Board of Commissioners for Jefferson County,Washington would like to express our support for Mason County PUD No. l's appropriations request to fund their Grid Resilience Project,which includes the Phase Two project activities of civil construction for their middle-mile substation at Jorstad Creek in Lilliwaup, Washington.Mason PUD 1 serves customers in both Mason County and our rural community of Brinnon in south Jefferson County. This Grid Resilience Project is important for south Jefferson County residents on the Hood Canal because this area experiences frequent and long-lasting power outages due to the terrain of U.S. Highway 101 and the Olympic National Forest that winds along the shoreline of Hood Canal.These areas are vulnerable to natural hazards like landslides,wind and snow events,and most commonly,fallen trees from the rainforest canopy. Currently there is a 35-mile stretch of power lines that run along Hwy 101 from Hoodsport to Mt.Walker in Brinnon. When one section goes out of power,the entire stretch goes out. During two large storm events in 2022,these customers were out of power for over three days the first time and over two days the second time because there is no redundant power supply.With a middle mile substation,most of these customers could have been back in service in less than 24 hours. Additionally,the PUD's Hoodsport Substation and the Jefferson County substation are old(1960's)and both must be taken completely offline for the PUD to perform their maintenance.This middle mile substation would improve the resilience of the local power grid and enable the PUD to keep most customers in power under most circumstances thanks to redundant power feed. It also will allow the PUD to be more efficient and proactive in the necessary maintenance that these other older substations need. Every customer on the PUD 1 system will benefit from this funding by alleviating the pressure on electric rates for their 5,600 electric customers.This funding would go a long way toward making the Jorstad Substation a near-term reality without impacting individual household budgets.We hope you will agree and select Mason PUD 1's Grid Resilience Project for funding. Sincerely, Heather Dudley-Nollette, Dist. I Heidi Eisenhour, Dist. 2 -Chair Greg Brotherton, Dist.3 Phone (360) 385-9100 jeffbocc(cco.jefferson.wa.us