If PUD rate cut didn’t help much, write FERC

Electricity rates have finally taken a step in the right direction — down. But the Snohomish County PUD and its ratepayers have a long way to go before they can breathe any easier.

The PUD commission’s vote for a 5.1 percent rate cut was the best choice available. It brings token relief beginning April 1 and provides a cushion against the possibility of another hike during the winter heating season.

As the anguish of customers at hearings this week showed, the small cut isn’t an answer to the robbery of ratepayers that has occurred as a result of last winter’s Western energy crisis. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission stands at the center of the continuing problem. The PUD has filed a complaint with FERC over a long-term contract the utility signed with Morgan Stanley at the height of the crisis. Separately, Congressman Jay Inslee has requested a General Accounting Office investigation of the market conditions last year.

FERC, which has been shockingly slow to address issues around deregulation, deserves to hear from the real people affected by its blatant irresponsibility. FERC can be contacted by writing: Pat Wood, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20002.

Locally, the elected PUD commission must continue to work toward overall strategies that will assure reasonably priced electricity. The commissioners’ ability to do so is vital to both the economic security for families and the economic development of the county. There’s much more to be done.