• Mark your calendar: Energize Eastside public hearing March 28th
• CENSE is working on your behalf, filing motions and preparing for hearing
• 300 Trees Update

Energize Eastside Public Hearing

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
March 28th • 6 pm • Bellevue City Hall
CENSE urges you to attend Bellevue’s public hearing on Energize Eastside (other cities will hold similar hearings later). The Hearing Examiner will hear comments from PSE, CENSE and the public to determine if Energize Eastside complies with City of Bellevue Land Use codes. More information on how to comment will be in the next newsletter. 

CENSE legal filings
CENSE attorney Rick Aramburu filed a motion to compel PSE to release data that they claim justifies the need for Energize Eastside. A second motion asks the Hearing Examiner to delay the hearing until PSE submits applications to build the north segment of the line. These compelling legal arguments are funded by citizen donations to CENSE.

Help fund our efforts
CENSE funds have been stretched by the delay in the public hearing (originally anticipated for last fall), the division of the project into two segments, and PSE’s continuing refusal to release data. CENSE decided to engage an additional expert witness to strengthen our legal case. But now we need to raise an additional $50,000 to cover these unexpected costs.

If you have the means, please donate $500 or more by mid-March. CENSE must create the best legal case possible, because all appeals will be based solely on the evidence presented at THIS hearing. Your donation will be a generous gift to defend your community, the environment, and the beauty of the Eastside for future generations.

300 Trees Update
Last week, the Bellevue City Council approved easements for four city-owned properties that PSE needs to construct a 3-mile transmission line in East Bellevue (this is a different project than Energize Eastside). CENSE and dozens of supporters who attended the meeting were disappointed by the council’s decision, but not too surprised. Council members explained that PSE had them in a legal box they couldn’t deny.

Are these trees doomed by a project that will permanently scar our community? Not yet. There are win-win-win alternatives that benefit the city, the environment, and PSE. We are looking for opportunities to discuss these options with the company and find a solution that works for everyone. Stay tuned!