HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter of Support MC O� COMNs, BoardCounty of Commissioners
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Kate Dean,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 GregBrotherton,District 3
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March 18, 2024
The Honorable Maria Cantwell
511 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Re: Support for Mason County PUD No. l's Appropriations Request for FY25
Dear Senator Cantwell,
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 Resiliency Project, which
includes the design and engineering of a middle-mile substation at Jorstad Creek in Lilliwaup,
Washington as well as a redundant transmission line to loop feed the PUD's two substations on the
southern end of their electric service territory.
This Grid Resiliency 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, as well
for Mason County residents on State Route 106. 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 a 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.
Phone(360) 385-9100 Fax (360) 385-9382 jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us
The construction of a redundant transmission line will loop feed the two southern substations that
feed the Skokomish Indian Reservation and rural activity center of Union, which are the two main
business corridors in PUD l's service territory. Every customer on the PUD 1 system will benefit
from this increased resiliency of PUD l's electric grid. Every customer will also benefit from this
funding by alleviating the pressure on electric rates. With only 5,500 electric meters, Mason PUD 1
experiences the same challenges larger utilities have with infrastructure but with far fewer customers
to spread the costs amongst. This funding would go a long way toward making the Jorstad
Substation a near-term reality without impacting individual household budgets while also helping to
keep the Skokomish Tribe's business enterprises and Union businesses in power during storm
events.
We hope you will agree and select Mason PUD l's Grid Resiliency Project to move forward for
appropriations.
Sincerely,
Jefferson County Commissioners
Kate Dean, Chair, Dist. No. 1 Heidi Eisenhour, Dist. No. 2 Greg Brotherton, Dist. No. 3