To the editor:

It is utterly impractical, and financially risky, for a city our size to take on the complex and difficult responsibility of operating and managing an electrical utility business. Forecasting service needs, and the engineering design and construction of a distribution plant, are complicated and costly. Service provision and round-the-clock maintenance can be a logistic nightmare, particularly when storms cause widespread outages. Rate setting is complex, and often contentious.

The financial costs of a mistake in any of these can be enormous and ongoing. There are no economies of scale in an operation this size; indeed, the reverse occurs because it is inherently inefficient.

The notion of acquiring greener wholesale power is laudable, but there are no guarantees that it would be available with the little purchasing power the city would have, and on the scale of all that is involved in providing reliable electric service, is really just a quibble with PSE that could better be addressed by taking the issue to the Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission.

There are other, more practical things the city can do to satisfy any desire to become greener.

Take the money proposed for a consultant and expand our bike lanes, build some additional charging stations, or buy some solar panels. At least we will have something to show for our investment.

TOM BEIERLE

Bainbridge Island