Thanks for your July 20 article about the three candidates for Snohomish County PUD commissioner.
As an Edmonds resident under 30 years old, I find it hard to believe that a commissioner who has already served three terms is running again! Kathy Vaughn is outdated and spends ratepayer dollars frivolously. She needs to go.
As a nature photographer, I’ve been all over the world photographing beautiful landscapes. Nowhere is as stunning as the Skykomish River, Sunset and Canyon falls. Anything that threatens these world-class treasures should be outlawed.
The fact that Vaughn supports “studying” a dam on the Skykomish River, which the state has protected as a Washington State Scenic Waterway, is proof of her lack of touch with the public’s priorities.
What’s really insulting is that SnoPUD calls this dam “only a weir.” Webster’s Dictionary defines “weir” as “a dam in a stream or river to raise the water level or divert its flow.” How stupid do they think we are?
Let’s protect our rivers and find long-term energy solutions like wind and solar and avoid new dams, which create myriad problems, including the acceleration of global warming. Articles about this are everywhere, like those in the Huffington Post and Earth Techling:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/13/can-solar-and-wind_n_1668763.html
Haven’t we, especially in Washington, learned the hazards of messing with our rivers? The Elwha is costing taxpayers $325 million to remove and repair the damage. This is taxpayers’ money — you and me — not the power company that made millions and then left the river for dead.
If Eric Teegarden is an expert in solar energy, then he makes the most sense for SnoPUD commissioner. We need some new blood to find new solutions, not someone who is just using new terminology for an outdated power source.
Trevor Anderson
Edmonds
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