A letter to our customers on natural gas

BELLEVUE, Wash. (9/16/2019) A letter to our customers on natural gas from PSE Vice President Andy Wappler

To our PSE customers,

We have been committed to a better energy future for more than a decade because we know it's important to you. We built our first wind farm in 2005 even before Washington voters enacted a renewable energy standard. This past legislative session, we worked with state leaders to help craft reasonable and feasible energy policy that ultimately led to the landmark passage of SB 5116- the Clean Energy Transformation Act. Working with a broad range of stakeholders can lead to better policy—we've seen it firsthand.

It's why we were surprised that a member of Seattle City Council proposed a natural gas ban without having included a robust group of stakeholders, without having done a thorough analysis of the impacts, and without considering what customers want to use to heat their homes and to cook. Nearly 900,000 customers across Washington state use natural gas, including almost 150,000 in the city of Seattle. The concern we share for our customers, we also share for our dedicated employees, who support the efforts to provide reliable and safe service each and every day in Seattle.

On the coldest days of the year, PSE's natural gas system provides about 2/3 of the energy used by the city of Seattle. Before deciding any new policy, there must be a clear understanding of how the decision would impact reliability, affordability and safety.

It's why we're calling for a year-long feasibility study in 2020 and to involve a broad range of stakeholders in the process, including our customers and labor unions before moving forward on this proposal. Future impacts to customers and employers in the Seattle area must be understood. If you agree that Seattle City Council shouldn't rush policy with far-reaching implications, we urge you to go to the next Seattle city council meeting or contact the Seattle City Council directly here.

Sincerely,


Andy Wappler