This public utility district election could impact Whatcom water, electricity, internet

Whatcom voters will choose between an 11-year incumbent and a challenger who has raised four times as much money in the campaign for Public Utility District No. 1 in the Nov. 3 election. The choice for commissioner will impact local water supply, energy infrastructure and internet connectivity.

Incumbent Jeff McClure has represented the agency’s 1st District, comprising southeast Whatcom County, since 2009 and currently serves as commission president. Christine Grant, a policy consultant and Western Washington University instructor, is challenging him for the seat.

While the candidate must live in the district they represent, the entire county votes for the seat in the general election.

Ballots for the general election will be mailed Wednesday, Oct. 14, and should be in homes by Wednesday, Oct. 21. The U.S. Postal Service recommends mailing your ballot back by Tuesday, Oct. 27. Local drop boxes remain open for ballots up to 8 p.m. election day. If you use one of the drop boxes, Whatcom County Auditor Diana Bradrick recommends delivering your ballot by Monday, Nov. 2, to avoid lines on election evening.

In the Public Utility District race, Grant frames herself as the more qualified candidate because of her policy background. She also has said she would push the agency to do more with the authority it has to benefit the community and promote green economic development. To finance her proposals, Grant said she would rely on available grants for infrastructure rather than levying taxes.

Meanwhile, McClure rejects the picture that the utility district has fallen behind and says he is a progressive yet pragmatic leader committed to not levying taxes.

Every two years, a non-partisan, countywide election decides who will sit on a three-person board of commissioners, each of which serve six-year terms. The board governs Public Utility District No. 1 of Whatcom County, overseeing a system that can supply energy and water service across the county. The agency has assets of more than $58 million and a yearly operating revenue of more than $20 million, according to the most recent annual report, which is for 2018.

The renewed focus on internet connectivity amid the pandemic has prompted each candidate to focus on bridging the digital divide; a path the agency has barely traveled.

Candidate backgrounds

McClure is an architect who founded RMC Architects soon after moving to Bellingham in 1982. His firm focuses on affordable housing and community-oriented projects, he said.

“I started my term in 2009, and at the time the PUD was contemplating a pretty massive $40 million upgrade of its facilities,” McClure said. “It was thought that my private management experience as an architect would be very helpful to have on the commission.”

He holds a bachelor of arts in environmental design from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Grant is a policy expert who has been teaching for the Institute for Energy Studies at WWU since 2017. She also has 12 years of experience consulting for electric cooperatives, public utilities and government agencies.

“This stuff is tricky; the policy is nuanced. I teach policy at Western. This is my world and I will be ready to hit the ground running,” said Grant.

Part of her work involves securing grants to fund clean energy and green jobs in Washington state, Grant said. To that end, she has previously served as a board member of the non-profit Spark Northwest and the political organization Washington Conservation Voters.

She holds a degree in environmental studies with a concentration in environmental policy and economics from Wellesley College.

Water Stewardship

On the issue of water stewardship, both candidates agree there is a need to balance farming and fishing needs, however, Grant has called for the commission to use more of the water it has available.

The Public Utility District operates a water system comprised of two diversion points on the Nooksack River in the Ferndale area, two treatment plants and 20 miles of pipeline, according to its website.

Of the 53 million gallons of water it has rights to use per day, the agency only uses about 17 million gallons, the website reads. The system primarily provides industrial-grade water to 10 industrial accounts and over 50 irrigation customers, according to its website.

McClure said the agency has modernized facilities and efficiently managed the water system under his watch. He said the commission is often preoccupied with ensuring fair watershed planning because that has traditionally been its core business.

“I don’t want anyone thinking that we’re squandering the precious resource of water,” McClure said. “As a matter of fact, since I have been on the commission, we have cut the total usage of water used by industry that we serve by 33%, a total of 6 million gallons a day.”

Grant said the agency should prioritize using more of its allocated water to supply farmers during the summer months while still making sure Nooksack River water levels are sufficient for local fish to thrive.

“We have a really important farming industry in Whatcom County, it’s a big part of our culture, our identity,” Grant said. “The biggest impact of climate change is going to be felt by farmers on the lower Nooksack tributaries. We usually see high flows in the spring, and we might start seeing them earlier, which means there’s going to be less water in the summer when farmers are using the most water.”

Part of responsible water stewardship involves respecting the environment and the local water rights, she said. For example, the Nooksack Indian Tribe has treaty rights, giving them water rights and the right to harvest salmon, Grant said. She added she hopes to have the commission be more transparent with the community about how it allocates water.

McClure acknowledged that water rights can be complex and said the commission has been in active discussions with stakeholders, including the tribes, to address problems in the county.

“One of the tensions in water supply planning is the nexus between fishing and farming during summer months,” McClure said. “A month like August where the river flow is lowest is also potentially the time when agriculture needs it for irrigation. Balancing that nexus is always a delicate thing.”

Since the agency only has two diversion points near Ferndale, McClure said it’s difficult and expensive to divert more water to out-of-the-way areas. Rather than build more diversion points, the commission is looking into collecting groundwater to serve other areas.

“I think one of the things that are really difficult for people to grab on to are the complexity of these issues,” McClure said. “There is no silver bullet. What seems like a simple answer becomes very complex, so it takes generous discussion and cooperation among a number of parties.”

Energy Infrastructure

With regard to energy infrastructure, Grant is pushing the agency, sometimes referred to as the PUD, to provide more clean power for newer industries while McClure has said these discussions are already ongoing.

Public Utility District No. 1 provides about 27 megawatts of electricity a year to one electric service customer, Phillips 66, and two water treatment plants, according to its website. This power is supplied through a power purchase agreement with the Bonneville Power Administration, a non-profit federal power supplier that mostly operates hydroelectric projects.

Grant said she would like to see the agency use that low-carbon electricity to promote green economic development and living wage jobs in the Cherry Point Industrial Zone. For example, the agency could provide power to data centers or work with BP to further their carbon-neutral goals, she said.

“The PUD hasn’t really played an economic development role,” Grant said. “I think we really need to start envisioning how we transform Cherry Point into a 21st century green industrial zone.”

Additionally, Grant envisions the agency promoting solar energy in Whatcom County. She said she hopes to work with Puget Sound Energy, which has transmission agreements with the district, to further its transition to 100% clean electricity by 2040.

“There are some projects that are being considered right now for Cherry Point that would use a lot of electricity, so at some point the PUD might need to start thinking about creating more renewable energy,” Grant said. “I think Whatcom County is really well-positioned to benefit from a transition to clean energy and investing in solar.”

McClure said he understands the demand for clean energy and the role the agency can play in that. He added the commission has been in active discussion with multiple organizations to further their energy goals.

“There is a tremendous desire in our community,” McClure said. “We at the PUD are very interested in moving that discussion further down the road. Industries are changing at Cherry Point… The role that the PUD can play would certainly be in the infrastructure realm.”

The commission is exploring large scale solar, hydrogen production and renewable fuels at Cherry Point, McClure said. They are also in discussion with the Port of Bellingham and other jurisdictions about the potential of developing a clean energy park at Cherry Point, encouraging next-generation industries and well-paying jobs, he added.

“All of those discussions are currently going on,” McClure said. “I think this is another indication of the progressive approach that the PUD has taken that I don’t believe the opposition is giving credit for. There is this picture being painted that the organization is sitting on its thumbs, which in my estimation could not be further from the truth.”

McClure said he is well-positioned to continue to lead the agency because his business experience as an architect has involved creatively balancing new ideas with how to best implement them.

“It’s easy to have ideas, the implementation can be difficult,” McClure said. “And I’m not saying that those ideas should be cast aside, but you have to have the pragmatism coupled with vision in order to make sure that these things can come to fruition.”

Internet Connectivity

Both candidates have called for the Whatcom Public Utility District to help bridge the digital divide, an activity the district has neglected for nearly 20 years.

Since 2000, Public Utility Districts in Washington have had the ability to build telecommunication infrastructure and lease it out to internet providers which connect the last mile to residents, according to the Washington Public Utility District Association website.

At least half of the 28 public utility districts in Washington state provide local access to wholesale broadband telecommunication services, according to the association website. Additionally, the districts have collectively invested more than $509 million in broadband infrastructure, the website read.

However, the Whatcom Public Utility District has not made progress on bridging the digital divide until recently. The current commission has been working with the Port of Bellingham to build a fiber internet backbone throughout rural Whatcom County. McClure said design and engineering for the plan is just finishing and construction is expected next year.

“It will take a concerted effort and a commitment of resources locally to bring this about,” McClure said. “I think the value here is that the community is pretty closely aligned on the fact that this is a critical need.”

McClure said more people are realizing internet connectivity is a right rather than a luxury, especially as more people are forced to work from home. With schools operating remotely amid the pandemic, he added many students are feeling the need for reliable high-speed internet.

“If our children are sequestered at home and don’t have immediate access to internet, it really creates a social justice issue,” McClure said.

Despite these recent efforts, Grant said the commission has done too little too late to build a fiber backbone. She added more fiber could be built and leased to providers without levying taxes, creating more jobs and effectively paying for itself.

“I do not support levying taxes when there are so many other vehicles to finance infrastructure — especially broadband — that our county needs,” Grant said. “It’s extremely disappointing that my opponent and the Whatcom PUD have missed out on millions of dollars of grants that other Washington PUDs have won to build broadband infrastructure over the past two decades.”

Given the increased focus on the digital divide in our communities, Grant said she expects the regulatory environment for fiber to change in the next few years. There have also been some exceptions in recent years allowing the districts to provide retail service directly to residents in areas where there are no or inadequate internet providers, the association website read.

“There’s already some state representatives and senators that are talking about allowing PUDs to provide retail service to customers, so that would be a really big change,” Grant said.

Grant said the current commission has failed to focus on internet connectivity over the last several years while other districts have been securing grants for their own infrastructure.

“My opponent is now scrambling to try to make it look like he cares about internet access and this is something that he wants to do,” Grant said. “But the reality is that they’ve done nothing other than they contributed $15,000 to a strategic plan that the Port did on rural fiber.”

Endorsements

Grant has out-fundraised McClure with $41,046 to his $9,270 on Friday, Oct. 9, according to data from the Public Disclosure Commission. More than $10,000 of her funds are from outside Whatcom County.

Grant has also gathered more endorsement from elected officials than the incumbent. At least 28 current and former elected officials have endorsed Grant compared with eight for McClure.

Former Bellingham mayor Kelli Linville counts herself among McClure’s supporters. She said she decided to endorse him because she feels he understands the Whatcom community and has demonstrated his character through his service over the years.

“I’m sure (Grant) is very capable,” Linville said. “In this case, I’ve known Jeff (McClure) for a very long time and I’ve appreciated his community contributions.”

Linville, who previously served as a state representative, said she worked with the Public Utility District less so during her role as mayor, so she primarily knows McClure based on his professional work as a local architect.

Through his work, Linville said she thinks McClure demonstrated good principles such as patience and a willingness to collaborate with a multitude of stakeholders.

“He took many of those principles in mind when he was doing his own projects,” Linville said. “And I’m assuming if he did it with his own projects, he would be doing that with the PUD too.”

Grant has scored endorsements from several local organizations including Whatcom Democrats, 42nd Legislative District Democrats, the Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Voters, and the Nooksack Indian Tribe.

Additionally, Grant has earned endorsements from construction laborers union LIUNA Local 292, the Northwest Washington Central Labor Council, the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington and the Washington Education Association.

The Washington Education Association Fourth Corner, which represents Whatcom teachers, does not usually endorse candidates for the Public Utility District, said Fourth Corner president Summer Stoner, but Grant effectively demonstrated how the agency could impact education.

“Many (educators) are struggling to have reliable internet enough to be able to conduct their classrooms from home,” Stoner said. “She had a really strong understanding, partially because she herself is an educator… teaching at Western (Washington University).”

The association spoke with both candidates and appreciated their focus on bridging the digital divide for students and educators, Stoner said. However, she added Grant seemed to have more extensive educational knowledge and a stronger stance on internet being a utility rather than a luxury.

“She just made this really strong case that the PUD is bigger than this just government agency that nobody really understands what they do,” Stoner said. “She made a strong case for wanting to connect with education and the work she’s doing.”

This story was originally published October 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.

Martín Bilbao

The Bellingham Herald

360-715-2209

Martín Bilbao is a recent UCLA graduate.