Watch the debate of the two candidates for Thurston PUD commissioner (district 3) here:

Something they keep on coming back to is whether the PUD should branch out from water and become an electric company as well. I wasn't sure of either's position at the end of the debate, I just got that both know that its something they need to consider.

Something to consider is the impact of establishing new PUDs to replace Puget Sound Energy provided electricity. The Washington PUD Association says PUDs could save money:

With access to low-cost power from the Bonneville Power Administration, a new electric-service public utility district would be able to charge rates up to 20 percent lower than rates projected for Puget Sound Energy, according to a study released today by the Washington Public Utility Districts Association.

The analysis by EES Consulting, a Kirkland-based management consulting firm specializing in the energy and other natural-resource-based industries, found that PSE rates have gone up sharply over the past several years – nearly 25 percent since 2002, or almost twice the national average.

PSE now has the highest rates of any electric utility in Washington, with the exception of a small utility serving the islands of San Juan County, and is asking the Utilities and Transportation Commission for permission to raise residential rates another 8.25 percent.