To lovers of trees, community and the earth – supporting values and stewardship of the land of the Swiftwater Peoples.

Please sign our petition and stop clear cut of 10ft plus of Vashon street frontages - where our oldest growth trees are. Vashon-Maury island landowners are being badgered to sign their permanent property rights over to Dutch Canadian private company - PSE. Why does it matter PSE is foreign owned? Because if they decide to sell that company- your property rights get sold with it.

We love our local PSE employees who help us so valiantly in storms- but there is a difference between the company and the employees.

Unfortunately, it appears possible that misinformation is being propagated by PSE representatives, that ‘tree wire project’ is just about improving electricity reliability. Your neighbors are being pushed to sign easements with clauses called ‘aggressive’ by a local lawyer - shifting PSE electricity poles/ infrastructure onto Vashon landowners private property. Streetscapes and property values are diminished. Our ability to build on our land would be limited. Stop what appears to be PSE shifting ‘Franchise compensation fee ‘ payable to King County from their shoulders to ours by moving their poles from public road right of way (ROW) to our private property.

Sample generic easement document provided by PSE real estate acquisition team to our local community council -Vmcc

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UrXwbh_bgLfeqyKA8aC1H2AeyulgjFj0/view

Summary:

This issue is of great importance to Vashon and beyond. Under the innocuously named ‘tree wire project’, that would appear to be a community good -substituting a sturdier, better insulated wire that fares well in storms, resists tree falls better and, the manufacturers Southwire say: "reduc(es) the need for frequent or severe trimming" of trees and vegetation- PSE may be seeking to move their poles and infrastructure from public ROW to private property through easement. For some, this means a 10ft PLUS clearcut on our street frontages. PSE currently pays King County a ‘Franchise Compensation fee’ to place the utility’s infrastructure on the ROW.

Here is a link confirming the recent Supreme Court decision that utility’s pay the fee. https://kingcounty.gov/en/legacy/depts/facilities-management/real-estate-services/using-county-real-property/utility-franchises

We have confirmed that the PSE /KC agreement includes $2.5m in annual fees payable for PSE to use King County ROW on the public roads.

The first 10ft frontage of our properties is where our oldest growth trees are – as we traditionally plant our trees as a buffer between our properties and the street. Our trees are vulnerable to supersaturated soils, more frequent wind and ice storms - and the loss of ‘buffering’ trees of significance can result in a whole forest being taken out.

We must activate as a community for our good and the greater good. Our trees, streetscapes, property rights and land values are at stake – with corporations from outside the US (PSE -Canadian Dutch monopoly) seeking property rights through easement which removes our ability to protect our land. Landowners rights are subjugated to PSE rights. This ‘project’ appears to be starting on 115th-119th Ave SW as a prototype. Generally, on the mislaid belief that PSE is a community asset rather than a ‘for-profit’ corporation – there are early easement right signers – who were given ‘free lawyers advice’ provided by PSE. One local easement lawyer described the easement clauses as ‘aggressive’. For those who do not automatically trust PSE, this private multinational monopoly company is using a real estate acquisition firm to badger landowners with misinformation, information gaps and harassment. King County is a natural ally in this battle –as PSE potentially seeks to move the weight of infrastructure cost from PSE shoulders onto private property owner’s shoulders, by moving their poles onto our land - with a pathway that may deny fees payable to KC for PSE use of the public road right of way (Franchise Compensation Fees).

ACTION

We call upon Vashon Maury landowners not to sign the PSE easements. We call upon King County representatives and administrators and our legislators and watchdogs (Eg UTC and AGO) to activate. In particular, we specifically ask you to facilitate/require a halt to PSE easement signing push, for KC benefit and that of the greater community, giving time and opportunity for:

1 full details of issue to be revealed

2 adequate, provable community contact and meetings, communications and discussions to occur and

3 basic access to INDEPENDENT LEGAL advice be made available to the Vashon community - equitably at PSE cost. NOT 'free lawyers supplied by PSE'

Are you willing to help us and stand up for the trees and property rights that help us protect our land? Contact your representatives before your neighbors unwittingly sign over vital property rights

Your signature matters- because numbers matter and lawmakers, reps and watchdogs need to see the trees, property rights /values and our streetscapes are important to Vashon