Snohomish PUD Promises Steady Rise in Electric Rates

For years, Snohomish County PUD has been forced to bear the increasing rates of electricity that it buys from the federal government because its commissioners haven’t passed on the cost to customers. On June 23, the utility proposed a new policy that would trigger rate increases whenever the Bonneville Power Administration, the utilities largest electricity provider, boosts the cost of power. PUD electricity rates shot up by more than 50 % in 2001 brought on by the 2000-01 West Coast Energy crisis. With the cost of world-wide energy projected to rise dramatically in the coming years, and the push of the federal government to curb our reliance on foreign imports, it is expected that more such rate increases are on the horizon.