Flint, Allen address Grant PUD issues

MATTAWA — Tom Flint is running for reelection to the Grant County Public Utility District Board against Robert “Bob” Allen.  

Flint attended the forum organized by the South Grant County Chamber of Commerce, the Wahluke School District and the Columbia Basin Herald.  

Although Allen did not attend the forum, the Columbia Basin Herald reached out and did a separate interview with the same questions so that voters can be informed this November. 

Introductions:

Flint: During the opening comment, Flint said he is a fifth-generation farmer, second generation farmer to the Columbia Basin.  

“As a kid who came here because of the irrigation district, I can remember hearing my mom say, ‘Someday it's going to be the breadbasket of the world,’” Flint said. “I kind of think we're there. It's been really interesting to see the evolution of our county.” 

Flint went to Central Washington University, earned a degree in industrial technology and began his work on the dams, and started a campaign to safeguard area dams in 1983. He said he and his wife took 830,000 petitions in 1998 and there hasn’t been a breach of a damn since.  

Allen:  During Allen’s opening statement he said he is a union electrician, former Marine, Gulf Storm veteran and he has worked in Quincy for the last 18 years at data centers and other places around the state doing electrical work. He has lived in Quincy for almost six years and lived in the Wenatchee area for 17 years.  

“I'd like to be involved in moving the ball forward to plan make a long-term plan to address those needs, the immediate needs and the needs in the future, and to bring living wage jobs to Grant County and enhance our resident's quality of life,” Allen said.  

Rate structure 

Both candidates were asked how they would balance the rate structure currently under review by the PUD. Over the last several months, residents, farmers and industrial power users have expressed concerns about the process. 

Allen:  “I plan to address that, you know, by trying to promote legislature that keeps the Public Utility District rates for citizens and farming as low as we can keep them," Allen said. 

He added that there must be a balance between the rates for heavy power users like the data centers in the Quincy area and the residents and farmers countrywide. 

He said that keeping the rates where they are at is a priority to him which he said they might be able to do using federal dollars that invest into Grand PUD through the legislature.  

“With help from the (Climate Commitment Act) and some other outside investment to our power grid that keeps it cheap for our local people and farmers,” Allen said.  

Flint:  “The reality is that it was the farmers and ranchers that put together the utility district in 1937 which resulted in building a lot of increased Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams in the early 60s,” Flint said. “The reality is, there are the stockholders, if you will, so we call them our core customers, and that's the farmers or ranchers, the residents and the small commercial mom and pop stores. Those folks always have the first right of power in this, this evolution of power use.” 

He said the current customer base has used most of the capacity the PUD has. However, there are still customers that want power. 

“When the port needs more, it will be taken away from the industrial customers and that is part of the information we are trying to work through to make sure everybody understands it. A lot of people think the industrialists are taking away their power and it’s going to be more expensive in the future and we have the third lowest rates in the United States, we are committed to keep us in that same situation.” 

Expanding power capabilities 

Addressing the limits of power for the PUD’s current infrastructure was of interest to both candidates. 

Flint: In the long-term, Flint said he is a proponent of small modular reactors.  

“The beauty of them, they're extremely safe,” Flint said. “They're based upon the nuclear Navy's platform that they've used for over 50 years. It is kind of like a pellet stove, a complicated pellet stove. They're extremely safe, and I think it has a lot of opportunities to be a resource that's (in) our carbon free world. That would work. I also think that's a 10-year project, so that's not going to take care of the intermediate things.” 

The second option, Flint said, is a combined cycle turbine generator with natural gas.  

“I know the state is steering us away from that, although in the power world, you will find out that there is no way to get to that 100% energy portfolio, renewable energy portfolio, without natural gas,” he said. 

Allen: Like Flint, Allen said he thinks money needs to be invested into small modular reactors. 

“I think the PUD, private industry and federal money needs to be invested in new generation small modular reactors,” he said. 

He also said more money needs to be funneled into transmission lines.  

“There needs to be legislation for permitting transmission lines built at a little bit less-cumbersome rate,” Allen said. “And I think we need some legislation to do that. And I think we need an influx of federal dollars too and public private partnerships to build those infrastructures within Grant County.” 

Transparency 

Candidates also addressed the frustrations some residents have expressed about transparency of the PUD, especially after a particular meeting wherein former PUD Boad President Nelson Cox said he felt he had to use “shock and awe” to get residents’ investment in the rate-setting process.  

Candidates were asked education is necessary for the public to understand the functions and challenges the PUD faces.  

Allen: “I think the PUD has a plan to be more transparent,” Allen said. “I think they're working towards that. I know (PUD staff) is working on community outreach and some of those things. I think people being involved and being proactive and attending some of those commission meetings might help to see what's going on within the PUD.” 

Allen said that transparency is as simple as keeping people up to date and sending out messages. He said he wants to see Grant PUD begin a digital communication where people receive updates on what the PUD is doing.  

Flint: “I know exactly what you're referring to, and after that event happened, we actually changed our strategic plan to make sure that we are open and transparent in how we do things,” Flint said. “It's a work in progress, but certainly, like I said earlier here today, we don't want to have anybody thinking that they can't ask questions and get the information.” 

Flint said that he came down to Mattawa to educate people.  He also encouraged people to visit PUD facilities that have visitors centers. 

Want to watch?  

The full forum may be watched at https://bit.ly/2024GCFORUM.   

    Robert “Bob” Allen is running against incumbent Tom Flint for Grant County Public Utility District Board. Although Allen did not attend the forum in Mattawa, he answered the same questions in an interview about policies and plans for the future of Grant PUD.