A Wise Investment by Gary Plass

There is real enthusiasm in Sonoma County for renewable energy and to that end the Board of Supervisors has voted to explore various public options. Over the next few years, they will try to run-to-ground the costs, consequences and benefits of forming a public power agency. Healdsburg has something to offer in this debate. Not one of the hypothetical possibilities in their study, but the best example in the county of a successful, living, breathing public power entity.
More than a century ago, the city fathers of Healdsburg made a wise investment to create our own power system. Electric service was pretty new at the time, but they understood its importance, that it was key to the city’s future, and that they needed to ensure control stayed close to home.
I can honestly say that the path our city fathers took left us with a legacy of public benefit that includes a power system that is friendlier, cheaper, and greener than any other alternative. First and foremost, our shareholders remain our citizens. Second, we now pay on average 20% less than the surrounding communities that rely on PG&E’s service, and we will maintain this advantage well into the future. By choosing the public power option, the citizens of Healdsburg will collectively save $3 million on their electricity bills this year, money you will be able to use to improve your businesses, homes, and lifestyles.
Environmentally, we can take pride in being good stewards. While PG&E has a steep hill to climb to reach the state’s requirement of 33% renewable energy by 2020, we’ve already met this goal and exceeded it. In 2011, we reached 43%, and this does not include the 27% of our power needs met by large hydroelectric dams. Adding these together means that 70% of Healdsburg electricity is now carbon free. This in turn means that our electricity portfolio is among the cleanest in the state, and by extension, the entire nation.
What do I mean by friendlier? This goes to the heart of the value of public power. If you have a problem with your electrical service, you can call Terry Crowley, our outstanding utility director. He and his crew of 10 support second-by-second service to 5,610 customers, and maintain 1,300 streetlights, 30 miles of underground line and 28 miles of overhead line. As mayor, I can tell you they run a lean, mean, and highly efficient operation. Outages are very rare in our community. If you feel you have a larger problem, as citizen-owners of Healdsburg Electric you can take it directly to the City Council. This sure beats going to San Francisco and trying to find someone in corporate headquarters to listen to you. And it beats watching some of our hard earned dollars flow out of the community to shareholders all over the world.
Where does our power come from? I not only have the privilege of being Mayor of Healdsburg, but I also serve as Chairman of the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) from whom we get our power. NCPA is a joint action agency set up in 1968 as a forum through which community-owned utilities can pool resources to make joint investments in affordable, clean energy.  NCPA has, for example, a sizeable stake in the Geysers, just north of Healdsburg, that is the largest commercial geothermal field in the world. Right now, NCPA membership includes 14 municipal utilities in Northern California, plus other public entities, such as BART. Healdsburg was one of the founding members of NCPA. In my view, this was another in a string of wise investment in public power, one that has helped us maintain low, stable rates, and opened a clear pathway to a clean energy future.
Our fellow citizens in the county have a real choice ahead of them. Healdsburg Electric should give them heart and hope. It shows what wise investment in public power can accomplish.
Gary Plass is the Mayor of Healdsburg