Energy debate heats up on Vashon

No one on Vashon Island seems to be arguing against the idea that someone should help homeowners insulate their drafty old houses that waste immense amounts of energy.

But there's a raging debate about whether the people who want to create a public utility district for that purpose are up to the task.

Voters will decide Nov. 7 whether to form King County's first public utility district (PUD) and, if so, who should serve as commissioners. Supporters and opponents believe it would be the first utility district in the nation formed to reduce home energy consumption and develop renewable resources.

Proponents have dropped the idea of erecting 230-foot-high wind turbines on Maury Island — an idea that Citizens for Vashon Public Utilities Chairman and PUD commissioner candidate Cliff Goodman said was "not terribly realistic" near so many homes.

A recently expanded package of government subsidies has made solar power the most attractive new energy source, Goodman said.

Opponents say the plan was poorly thought out and is financially risky.

The idea of a PUD created to achieve "energy independence" was laid out in a series of reports written by the Vashon Island-based Institute for Environmental Research and Education, whose executive director, Rita Schenck, also is a candidate for utility commissioner. Those reports said making Vashon and Maury island homes more energy-efficient would save enough money to fund renewable-resource projects that could meet the island's remaining energy needs.

Here's how the plan would work:

Homeowners could ask the PUD to do a home energy audit to determine what kinds of home improvements could reduce their energy bills. Improvements could include insulation, weather-stripping, fluorescent light bulbs and, if energy costs keep going up, a heat pump.

If a homeowner opted for the upgrade, expected to cost $5,000 to $6,000 on average, the district would hire contractors and supervise their work. The district would borrow the money required, and the homeowner would repay the district through monthly utility fees.

Many details remain to be worked out by the three PUD commissioners if voters approve the idea. Among supporters are Rocky Mountain Institute founder Amory Lovins, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and the Washington Public Utility Districts Association.

U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, who represents Vashon Island, wrote in the Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber that creation of a PUD would be "our Declaration of Energy Independence."

Proponents expect to raise slightly more than $4,000 for yard signs and local newspaper ads, Goodman said.

The two sides have engaged in a harsh debate by e-mail, in public forums and in the local newspaper.

Opponents, who aren't raising any campaign funds, include businessmen Tom Bangasser and Armen Yousoufian and attorney Laura Wishik. They say the district's business plan — which assumes 75 percent of homeowners would become customers — is poorly thought out.

If commissioners find the district can't pay its way, critics contend, they would be forced to impose property taxes — something all four commissioner candidates have pledged not to do.

Yousoufian called the business plan "one-tenth baked; it's not half-baked." He said the plan is "shaky and amateurishly done. ... I'm puzzled by how they can be this sloppy and be this optimistic."

A report by the business-supported Washington Research Council called the business plan "sketchy."

Laura Worth and Robert Bornn, a couple who participated in the decision to put a PUD on the ballot, have changed their minds, saying they think the conservation goals should instead be pursued by a coalition of nonprofit agencies, individuals and for-profit contractors.

Worth said she thought the PUD proposal was rushed in order to get it on the November ballot.

Goodman attributed much of the opposition to fear of government. "What we've found in the community is people either embrace it — 'My gosh, we get to do something about global warming, we get to take some control of our energy costs' — or they go the other way and say, 'It's another government boondoggle, it can't be good.'

"There's not much in between."

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com