To the editor:

Steve Johnson did get at least one thing right in his letter last week — we deserve facts on the PSE purchase discussion.

Unfortunately, we cannot expect that from the city’s authorized Hittle $100,000 study. Any cursory review of their credentials or history shows them clearly biased towards public power. We can simply look at their horrible job on the Jefferson County PUD to tell us what value we should place on their “facts.” Hard to get facts from someone who is biased in one direction!

Island Power’s Steve Johnson is also loose with facts when he makes comments like, “if every community … insisted on buying clean power from BPA” it would force “PSE‘s carbon based plants to go out of business”.

Does Island Power seriously think there are massive amounts of clean energy just sitting around unused, waiting for us to jump on? Does Island Power really believe BPA is not already using all the hydro power they have? If that were the case, why are they purchasing power from other private utility companies?

Bainbridge Island does deserve the facts. The idea that by switching power companies we would somehow be only using clean power makes for good sound bites but little in the way of facts.

Preserve our future and stay with what works.

JOHN OGDEN

Bainbridge Island