Last month, I attended a Washington PUD Association meeting in Olympia.

These meetings are very informative and provide valuable insights into developments within the utility sector that may affect the ability of PUDs like Grays Harbor to maintain reliable service for our customers. That service is the heart of the PUD mission and one of the hallmarks of public power.

During this meeting, I was stunned to learn that the current presidential administration has instructed the Bonneville Power Administration to release several hundred employees, including highly trained specialists such as linemen and other workers crucial to the maintenance and operation of the vast Bonneville system.

The layoffs, affecting over 600 employees (or 14% of the Bonneville Power Administration workforce), cut deep into the team that plays a critical role in maintaining essential services. The decision to reduce staff appears to be influenced by directives that come without a clear understanding or adequate consideration of the essential functions these employees perform or the consequences to operations efficiency and safety, and public service reliability.

Simply put, this was not well thought out and I hope, for the sake of the customers we serve and the service they rely on, that the negative impacts of these cuts are realized and the decision reversed.

I’ve been relieved to find that I’m not alone in my thoughts. In an editorial to The Seattle Times, former Bonneville Power Administration Administrator Randy Hardy shared my concerns, saying, “These federal staffing reductions will cause significant reliability problems and other impacts on the Northwest power system. I hope that their implementation can be adjusted to minimize such impacts rather than just proceeding and hoping that any dysfunction can be cured later.”

Combined with strong reactions from utilities across the country, it seems clear that those responsible for providing energy to our customers are united in their opposition to this rash decision. A “ready, fire, aim” approach seldom works.

When we are talking about making cuts to the staff and specialists that impact the ability for critical services to be delivered safely, reliably and efficiently, it is even more ill advised.