Modernize power grid

Thank you to all the power line workers who risked life and limb, sacrificing so much to give us power. You deserve a huge bonus.

I once lived in a city with inclement weather and lots of trees, but we had a modernized power grid where most of the lines were buried. It’s expensive. A utility company has to have the customers’ and line workers’ best interests in mind to see the value. But monopolies are not driven by customer or worker concerns; investor returns are what matter. Avista’s investors get top returns, therefore Avista’s executives get top dollar.

It’s costly to run a utility as Avista is run. The poor, the weak, the elderly and the very young all suffer when power lines go down in the winter. The workers have to go out in the worst weather, in dangerous conditions and, when overworked, they endanger themselves further.

Come on, Avista, let’s leave the dark ages behind; please modernize our power grid. Invest in your customers’ and workers’ health, not in your investors and executives. The poor huddled masses will sleep better at night when they are warm, and so will you.

Jerry Bishop

Chattaroy