Dennis Kucinich and Joe Dobner: The Fight For Public Power
Channel: Ed Mays
Date: 2020-02-24

De-privatizing Public Utilities  

Two counties in Washington State are engaged in a struggle to convert their private, for-profit energy utilities into public utilities that would provide cleaner energy, safer infrastructure and be accountable to the people.  Residents in East King County are fed up with Puget Sound Energy, which provides the dirtiest energy in the state and is deeply invested in deadly fossil fuels.  Native tribes and residents have united in a fight to stop the construction of PSE’s liquid natural gas plant in Tacoma and dangerous coal trains traveling from Montana coalfields.  Many people in this area are doing their part by buying electric cars, but when 56% of their energy comes from coal, it defeats the purpose.  Meanwhile, the publicly owned utilities in the state provide clean, renewable energy and better service.  

Dennis Kucinich, the former mayor, congressman and presidential candidate visited Washington to support and advise activists on how to establish their own Public Utility District.  They are organizing an initiative campaign that will take investment firms that put profit over climate and the public interest out of the loop.  Dennis Kucinich fought successfully to save Cleveland’s public municipal electrical utility when he was the young mayor in the late 70’s.  He stood firm against the big banks, which threatened to cut off credit and bankrupt the city if he blocked the sale.  The ratepayers responded by organizing an initiative campaign that stopped the privatization and the banks duly bankrupted Cleveland.  A little known fact is that Kucinich survived two assassination attempts.

The fight to wrest back control of energy is not going to be easy.  Kucinich noted that PSE reports making between 6.5 to 10 percent returns on their investments.  “ Public utilities are cash cows.  In this case, you’re the ones getting milked,” he quipped. Kucinich estimated that over the course of about 15 years, preserving Cleveland's public utility saved Cleveland hundreds of millions of dollars. 

Join us and learn how we can win.

Thanks to East King Co. Public Utility District campaign & Bibi Restaurant. Recorded 2/5/20

Host Linda Boyd Introduction - 0

Sara Papanikolaou - 02:04
A founding member of 350 Eastside, identified Puget Sound Energy as a huge source of greenhouse gas in our own backyard.  She said, “it is utterly unacceptable, in 2020, for our local utility to have 56 percent fossil fuel based power generation. It is unacceptable for our local utility to continue to build out fracked gas infrastructure that locks us into decades of emissions and the worst effects of global warming. PSE's recently built North Seattle Lateral Upgrade Fracked gas pipeline expansion in South Snohomish County is raising our statewide greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.”

Joe Dobner Presentation -9:05
An organizer for EKC-PUD, described the transformation of Puget Sound Power and Light, which generated power using about 50-50 coal and hydro-power. After the purchase of the Washington Energy Company, Puget Sound Power changed its name to Puget Sound Energy, and became heavily invested in gas plants. Even after increasingly dire IPCC reports on Global Warming, PSE still intends to continue to burn coal as long as they can.  
Dobner said that since we can’t afford to wait until 2040 to curtail emissions from burning gas.  Since PSE continues to invest in carbon-based energy, we need to get ourselves out of PSE by forming a public utility district.  Dobner laid out the initiative process and organizational steps necessary to put the EKC-PUD on the 2020 ballot.

Cong. Dennis Kucinich -35:48
Former U.S. Representative from Ohio, 53rd mayor of Cleveland, candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008

State Rep. Maralyn Chase -1:15:20
The former Washington State Senator talks about how she tried to stop foreign investors from acquiring PSE and why it is important to get good commissioners to run PUD’s.  She elaborates on how even if you have a PUD, it can still become a captured agency.  This happened in the case of SNOPUD- Snohomish County Public Utility District.

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