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  • Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gregoire commends cooperation that restored power to Anderson Island

For Immediate Release: April 3, 2009

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today thanked several federal, state and local agencies for their cooperation and quick response to a power outage on Anderson Island.

�The power has been restored to Anderson Island, thanks to the heads-up work and collaboration among several agencies,� Gregoire said. �In light of the emergency, agencies began the permitting process before a contractor even applied for permits, and were able to process permits in record time. When I introduced my reform package for state government, I said our public agencies must be more efficient and improve customer service. This is a great example of cutting bureaucracy to help neighbors and communities in need.�

Residents of Anderson Island lost power on Jan. 31, when an underwater cable failed. Since then, the community has been using generators to restore some of the lost electricity.

Local and federal agencies have been working since the first day of the power outage to assist island residents. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife and Pierce County�s Planning and Land Services Department gathered information early on to grant emergency permits before the utility company applied for them so power could be restored quickly to the local community.

�The folks in our planning department made this a top priority so that Tanner Electric could undertake repairs as quickly as possible,� Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy said. �Our coordinated multi-agency response should help all Pierce County residents feel confident that we are prepared for such emergencies.�

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined the project qualified for what is known as a �nationwide� or �general� permit, and expedited the permitting process to grant the local utility a permit in less than a week. The Corps of Engineer�s determination eliminated the need for the state�s Department of Ecology to issue a separate permit.

�I appreciate the level of cooperation that I saw in a very difficult situation,� said Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, who represents Anderson Island and began making phone calls less than 24 hours after island residents lost power. �This is an example of how government should work, and I was pleased that the Governor�s Office worked together with me to solve this problem relatively quickly.�

�It�s good to hear the state can step it up for the people on Anderson Island,� said Rep. Troy Kelley, D-Tacoma. �It�s been slow, hard work to fix the power cable, so it seems only right for the state to do what it can to speed up the process and bring power back to the island.�

�Every agency involved in this process, at every level of government, showed a true commitment to finding a solution to this emergency as quickly as possible,� said Rep. Tami Green, D-Lakewood. �I applaud those agency workers who spent countless hours making the permit process as easy as possible. I also want to thank Tanner Electric for working overtime to restore full power.�

�We want to thank every agency that helped Tanner get back online, including the Bonneville Power Administration, which donated a crew to speed up the repair process,� said Tanner�s general manager Steve Walter. �This situation was a major inconvenience for our members, and could have taken much longer to resolve. Thanks to the quick response of those our cooperative depends on, we are able to quickly respond to our members who rely on us for electricity.�

Tanner Electric provides electricity to more than 4,300 homes and businesses in North Bend, Ames Lake and Anderson Island.