PSE asks for Higher Rates due to Lower Consumption In a recent bill insert, PSE says it will ask the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) to approve an increase in residential electric rates by 3.5%. PSE says decreasing customer electricity usage is one reason why the company needs to [...]

Big News on Virtual Power Plants Here's a surprise: PSE, CENSE, and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) all agree that “Virtual Power Plants” are an essential investment for grid modernization. At a hearing held on March 25, the UTC accepted PSE's plan to postpone competitive bidding [...]

CENSE Appeals King County Superior Court Decision CENSE has appealed a recent decision by King County Superior Court upholding Bellevue's approval of PSE's Energize Eastside project. The judge failed to address CENSE's request that PSE disclose data proving the project is needed. PSE incorrectly stated that such disclosures violate [...]

CENSE Appeals to Superior Court Late last year, the City of Bellevue approved a land use permit that would allow PSE to build "Energize Eastside" - a major upgrade of transmission lines running through dozens of Eastside neighborhoods.CENSE appealed the decision of the Hearing Examiner to the Bellevue City [...]

CENSE heads to Superior Court Late last year, the City of Bellevue approved a land use permit that would allow PSE to construct "Energize Eastside," a major upgrade to high-voltage transmission lines that run through dozens of Eastside neighborhoods. CENSE appealed the decision to King County Superior Court. A [...]

Lake Hills Transmission Line Update As you may have seen, PSE has finished cutting down 300 trees on 148th Avenue and NE 8th Street to build the redundant Lake Hills Transmission Line. PSE intends to install poles and wires in coming weeks. A CENSE partner organization, 300trees.org, [...]

Update - May 2020 The debate over PSE's "Energize Eastside" transmission line project continues, although the virus outbreak has slowed things down. We continue to prepare for the crucial land use hearing in the City of Newcastle. The city has postponed the hearing until an undetermined date when it [...]

Renton decision on Energize Eastside CENSE will ask for reconsideration The Hearing Examiner for Renton has issued his decision on the permit for Energize Eastside. In a 40-page decision focused mostly on pipeline safety, the Examiner concluded that Renton's land use codes required him to ignore fundamental questions about [...]

Energize Eastside in Renton The document "Energize Eastside in Renton" focuses on the Renton perspective of PSE's Energize Eastside project. It addresses three main topics:Energize Eastside’s impacts on RentonAssumptions used to justify Energize EastsideWinners and losers created by the projectWritten by CENSE members, this document gives an clear and [...]

Renton Hearing Report A summary of the Energize Eastside public hearing held in Renton on Jan 8, 2020, By Don Marsh.Dozens of CENSE supporters wearing orange shirts attended the five-hour hearing in Renton, sitting politely together with dozens of business owners and civic organizations that PSE had recruited to [...]

Renton Hearing - Wednesday Jan 8th Renton's land use hearing for Energize Eastside is on Wednesday, January 8, at 5:00 pm at Renton City Hall (details below). You can arrive after 5:00 if necessary.CENSE will present compelling information to show that PSE's project would increase safety risks in Renton [...]

Bellevue Appeal, Renton Hearing Jan. 8 CENSE has appealed Bellevue's decision to approve a 3.3 mile segment of Energize Eastside running through the Eastgate, Somerset, and Newport Hills neighborhoods in South Bellevue.The appeal describes two problems with PSE's application. First, the City did not require PSE to provide historical [...]

CENSE Interviewed by Seattle Times and KUOW CENSE President Don Marsh was interviewed by Seattle Times and KUOW Radio about the current status of permitting for Energize Eastside.The Seattle Times article was printed in the December 4th paper.The KUOW interview was broadcast on Dec 2nd. You can listen to the [...]

CENSE challenges PSE and City's Decision Bellevue permit approval inspires strong responseThe CENSE Executive Board has authorized a vigorous, multi-track response to the Bellevue City Council's approval of a Land Use Permit for construction of PSE's Energize Eastside project.First, CENSE will appeal Bellevue's decision in King County Superior Court. [...]

Bellevue Council rejects citizen appeals Under the close scrutiny of PSE vice-president Andy Wappler, the Bellevue City Council unanimously rejected residents' appeals against PSE's Energize Eastside project on Thursday night. After Mayor Chelminiak explained that the council must defer to the judgment of the Hearing Examiner, each council member [...]

Bellevue Reporter Article about Appeal Hearing Powerful argumentsThe Bellevue Reporter published a substantive article covering the Energize Eastside Appeal Hearing before the Bellevue City Council. The article describes three arguments made by CENSE attorney, Rick Aramburu:PSE has not shared any data to verify that electricity demand on the Eastside [...]

Appeal Hearing: No Decision Bellevue City Council needs a month to decideThe Bellevue City Council heard testimony tonight from PSE and CENSE regarding the Hearing Examiner's decision in favor of permitting Energize Eastside.CENSE was one of five appellants to submit a legal complaint stating that PSE did not study [...]

Join us at Energize Eastside appeal, Oct. 16 Join us for a historic decisionOn Wednesday, October 16th, the Bellevue City Council will hear five appeals challenging an examiner's recommendation to approve the South Bellevue segment of PSE's Energize Eastside project. This is arguably the most consequential appeal the council [...]

Bellevue Mayor Chelminiak will not recuse himself from the appeal hearing BIG NEWS - Bellevue Mayor Chelminiak just notified CENSE that he will not recuse himself from the appeal hearing. In his explanation, Chelminiak stated, "I have had no involvement in the decisions concerning the content or timing of [...]

UPDATE: Bellevue Mayor Chelminiak refuses to recuse himself. Details here. CENSE requests recusal of MayorComplaint cites biasUPDATE 15 October: Bellevue Mayor Chelminiak refuses to recuse himself. Details here.The attorney for CENSE, Rick Aramburu, has requested Bellevue Mayor John Chelminiak to recuse himself from the Energize Eastside appeal hearing that [...]