I write to support Phyllis Bernard for her first full term as Clallam PUD Commissioner for District 3.
Phyllis has many years of experience with energy issues coupled with expertise in administrative law and mediation.
Her sensitivity to and compassion for local issues and people will serve the PUD board well in what promises to be a rocky and exciting decade ahead.
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) supplies nearly 100 percent of PUD electricity via a single 100-mile transmission corridor running from Shelton along the west side of Hood Canal to Port Angeles.
Water levels, water sharing and the cost to upgrade infrastructure all promise a turbulent future for BPA and our PUD.
Solutions will involve Washington, D.C., where Phyllis served rural public interests as a litigator, advisor and adjudicator.
Her experience brings critical insight into PUD strategic planning processes, so we can successfully navigate inevitable changes.
Furthermore, Phyllis is a strong proponent of local generation through renewables that can be developed on the Olympic Peninsula.
She supports grid resiliency through compartmentalization of the local PUD grid and development of solar/wind plus storage microgrids for homes and businesses.
This is very important on the Olympic Peninsula, where we have one of the most dangerous earthquake zones in the world.
Currently, the PUD has no non-BPA interconnected generation on the Peninsula, unlike many other parts of BPA’s service territory.
A vote for Phyllis will be a vote for a good, solid future on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Bill Petitjean
Port Angeles