WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.779 the rats that were the size of cats, like that 00:00:02.779 --> 00:00:05.519 was not that unusual. They would get that big. 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:08.400 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, bro. That's crazy. 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:14.480 Yeah. So the rat was their mentor or something, 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:17.839 right? Yeah. Yeah. Trying to remember my Teenage 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:19.760 Mutant Ninja Turtles. That was the 80s. That 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:22.519 was, yeah. Well, there's been reboots since then. 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:25.820 And not, clearly not as successful. Don't put 00:00:25.820 --> 00:00:27.300 this on the podcast, Paul. Don't use any of this, 00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:31.670 Mitch. Welcome to County Connection, the official 00:00:31.670 --> 00:00:33.969 podcast of the Washington State Association of 00:00:33.969 --> 00:00:35.950 Counties, where we dive into the legislative 00:00:35.950 --> 00:00:37.990 issues shaping the future of our communities. 00:00:38.090 --> 00:00:40.429 From budgets to public safety, infrastructure 00:00:40.429 --> 00:00:43.369 to elections, we'll break down what's happening 00:00:43.369 --> 00:00:46.149 in Olympia and how it impacts counties from across 00:00:46.149 --> 00:00:49.229 the Evergreen State. Stay informed, stay engaged, 00:00:49.390 --> 00:00:52.250 and join us as we amplify the voice of Washington's 00:00:52.250 --> 00:00:56.670 39 counties. Welcome, everybody, to the County 00:00:56.670 --> 00:00:58.789 Connection, the official podcast of the Washington 00:00:58.789 --> 00:01:00.649 State Association of Counties. We're back here 00:01:00.649 --> 00:01:04.069 in the studio. It is, I think it's Thursday, 00:01:04.209 --> 00:01:06.629 actually. Not bad weather outside, and I'm hanging 00:01:06.629 --> 00:01:10.909 out this morning with Sean Swope, the Honorable 00:01:10.909 --> 00:01:14.730 Commissioner Sean Swope from Lewis County. Sean, 00:01:14.790 --> 00:01:16.450 good to see you. Does it make you a little nervous 00:01:16.450 --> 00:01:18.069 when people call, or does it feel a little weird 00:01:18.069 --> 00:01:20.390 when people call you the honorable commissioner? 00:01:20.769 --> 00:01:23.430 Yeah, I really like the name Sean. It's really 00:01:23.430 --> 00:01:27.549 good. You weren't one of those kids who said, 00:01:27.650 --> 00:01:29.750 hey, mom, dad, why did you name me this? I would 00:01:29.750 --> 00:01:32.109 have preferred Bill or Tommy or something like 00:01:32.109 --> 00:01:34.430 that. Well, they did spell my name S -E -A -N, 00:01:34.750 --> 00:01:38.290 and so teachers early on called me Scene Swoop. 00:01:38.409 --> 00:01:41.420 Oh, you're kidding me. Oh, no, serious. In the 00:01:41.420 --> 00:01:45.180 80s? Back in the 80s in elementary school, they 00:01:45.180 --> 00:01:47.739 would call me. We'd get a substitute teacher, 00:01:47.819 --> 00:01:50.560 and I'm just waiting for it. Here we go. For 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:56.819 a male. Scene swoop. For a male, S -E -A -N is 00:01:56.819 --> 00:01:59.560 a very common spelling for the name Sean. Now 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:03.120 it is, yes. I was a child of the 80s and 90s. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:05.400 It was back then, too. Obviously, they didn't 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:08.419 get the memo in Texas because it was always seeing 00:02:08.419 --> 00:02:11.939 swoop. And the reason why it's spelled S -E -A 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:17.479 -N is my dad's name is John. And it's Irish for 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:20.539 John. Oh, I did not know that. Oh, that's cool. 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:25.180 So S -E -A -N is actually the Irish version of 00:02:25.180 --> 00:02:28.439 John. Yeah, well, it... It means the same thing. 00:02:28.539 --> 00:02:32.319 So the meaning behind the name is John. Okay. 00:02:32.360 --> 00:02:36.259 Anyways, that's how it was told to me why they 00:02:36.259 --> 00:02:38.939 spelled it that way instead of S -H -A -W -N. 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:40.719 Well, I'm never going to call you Commissioner 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:43.180 Scene Swoop. That would be hilarious. Or Swope. 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:47.759 Swope. What happened? Scene Swoop. As if there's 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:51.639 two O's in my name. Commissioner. Sean Swope 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:53.840 from Lewis County. You made the drive up today 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:57.360 all the way from Chehalis. Centro, yeah. Oh, 00:02:57.360 --> 00:02:59.560 you were in Centro. I never even went to Chehalis 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:00.879 today. You never even went to the courthouse 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:02.860 today. I had other meetings. We won't tell anybody 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:06.000 that. You know, I grew up in Tenino. Do you know 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:11.560 that? Yeah. And Wayne's your cousin, right? No. 00:03:12.379 --> 00:03:15.400 Not everybody in Tenino are cousins. Very funny. 00:03:16.810 --> 00:03:18.530 No, I grew up in Tenino, which, of course, is 00:03:18.530 --> 00:03:20.849 South Thurston County. For folks who are on the 00:03:20.849 --> 00:03:22.569 podcast and don't know where Tenino is, it's 00:03:22.569 --> 00:03:25.490 just south of here, about 20 minutes. And we 00:03:25.490 --> 00:03:27.550 actually spent more time in Lewis County than 00:03:27.550 --> 00:03:29.629 we did, like, in the Olympia area. We would almost 00:03:29.629 --> 00:03:31.669 always go to Centralia Chehalis. We went to church 00:03:31.669 --> 00:03:33.870 there. We went shopping there. And I remember 00:03:33.870 --> 00:03:36.009 as a kid going to the Fourth of July festivities 00:03:36.009 --> 00:03:39.159 down there. And the parking lots around the fairgrounds 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:43.000 were just a war zone back then. It was like chaos. 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:48.759 It was total anarchy around fireworks. Is it 00:03:48.759 --> 00:03:51.219 still like that now? It's still like that. You 00:03:51.219 --> 00:03:53.139 know what's even better? Last night, I went to 00:03:53.139 --> 00:03:56.259 the Chehalis tribe with Dustin. Kletush invited 00:03:56.259 --> 00:03:59.400 us to have this firework show. It was about a 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.840 five -minute firework show. I saw you post, actually, 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:05.569 on that. And literally. 30 minute finale yeah 00:04:05.569 --> 00:04:09.710 like not exaggerating 30 minutes of just complete 00:04:09.710 --> 00:04:13.069 chaos and pandemonium i mean my kids were like 00:04:13.069 --> 00:04:16.569 it's a finale it's a finale nope there's no no 00:04:16.569 --> 00:04:19.769 no and it was it was awesome it's the best firework 00:04:19.769 --> 00:04:22.709 show oh i've ever been to yeah and when we go 00:04:22.709 --> 00:04:25.730 do the county one which is great highly professional 00:04:25.730 --> 00:04:29.139 yeah do they put it to music and everything Not 00:04:29.139 --> 00:04:32.019 that professional. We're still... Hey, I'm sorry. 00:04:32.259 --> 00:04:35.379 Is this Disneyland? Hey, we used to do that in 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:37.259 Kittitas County. That's all I'm saying. Whoa. 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:40.879 Well, actually, yeah. I would encourage everyone 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:43.220 to stay in their cars, turn on their radio, their 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:45.459 favorite song, and you'll have your fireworks 00:04:45.459 --> 00:04:50.449 to music. That's cheating. Not exactly what I 00:04:50.449 --> 00:04:55.470 meant, but a good way to handle it. Well, Commissioner 00:04:55.470 --> 00:04:57.410 Swope, this is your first time on the podcast, 00:04:57.589 --> 00:05:00.170 but this is not your first podcast. Not my first 00:05:00.170 --> 00:05:02.029 podcast. And I know you're on the radio quite 00:05:02.029 --> 00:05:05.709 a bit over at KELA. Shout out to KELA. Do they 00:05:05.709 --> 00:05:09.470 still do Hall's Best Buys? I don't think so. 00:05:10.009 --> 00:05:13.509 But let's talk about it. That is a hot show. 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:16.319 Is it? Yeah, it's Fastest 30 Minutes in Radio. 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:19.620 Yeah, cool. Well, I remember that when I was 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:21.660 a kid, but we're not here to talk about that 00:05:21.660 --> 00:05:23.399 today. But we do want to hear about what's going 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:28.029 on down there in Lewis County. Specifically, 00:05:28.449 --> 00:05:30.850 I know you guys have been working on a couple 00:05:30.850 --> 00:05:32.610 of different projects, and I want to get into 00:05:32.610 --> 00:05:34.829 some of them today, mostly around economic development. 00:05:35.569 --> 00:05:38.329 But are there any new hot off the presses stuff 00:05:38.329 --> 00:05:39.709 that you want to mention before we kind of get 00:05:39.709 --> 00:05:41.910 started? Well, I do know that the Portis and 00:05:41.910 --> 00:05:43.910 Treya right now, we've got a major development 00:05:43.910 --> 00:05:49.259 that's going in. Oh, what's that? LPC. distribution 00:05:49.259 --> 00:05:52.240 centers. There's some mega distribution centers 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:54.339 that are planning on coming out there. You guys 00:05:54.339 --> 00:05:56.519 have had quite a few distribution centers. We 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:59.160 do. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it makes sense. 00:05:59.220 --> 00:06:01.819 We're halfway between Portland and Seattle. It's 00:06:01.819 --> 00:06:05.920 good land, good on off. We need better infrastructure 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:09.139 for truck traffic, which is something that I'm 00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:12.500 actually going to work with Wayne from Thurston 00:06:12.500 --> 00:06:15.779 County and the chairman from the Chehalis tribe. 00:06:16.379 --> 00:06:19.180 to get a new exit for truck traffic. So it's 00:06:19.180 --> 00:06:22.000 not in our main corridors right now. Yeah. Because 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:24.699 if we're going to continue to get some of this 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:28.540 type of economic development, we need to make 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:31.639 sure that our truck traffic is got the proper 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:34.399 infrastructure. And right now it doesn't. How 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:36.240 fast has Lewis County been growing over the last 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:39.399 couple of years? I would say. And in the last 00:06:39.399 --> 00:06:42.420 four to five years, it's compounding. And now 00:06:42.420 --> 00:06:44.720 that we got the Winco that's out there in the 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:47.040 Centralia Station. The new grocery store. Yes. 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:52.600 We continually hear new stores that are coming. 00:06:52.699 --> 00:06:54.399 And I know that there are some more announcements 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:56.459 of some really good stores in that area that 00:06:56.459 --> 00:06:57.819 will be there. I know that they've announced 00:06:57.819 --> 00:07:02.019 Chick -fil -A and Chipotle are going into that 00:07:02.019 --> 00:07:05.629 area, which I'm a huge fan of both. Chick -fil 00:07:05.629 --> 00:07:08.529 -A and Chipotle. If only we could get a Cane's 00:07:08.529 --> 00:07:13.329 in there. What is that? In the South, it's chicken 00:07:13.329 --> 00:07:17.250 fingers. It's just more of a Southern feel. It's 00:07:17.250 --> 00:07:19.029 kind of like Chick -fil -A a little bit, but 00:07:19.029 --> 00:07:23.529 Cane's is more your Louisiana -type feel. Okay, 00:07:23.589 --> 00:07:25.870 never heard of it, but I'll take your word for 00:07:25.870 --> 00:07:29.730 it. So it's interesting that you talk about... 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:32.420 a lot of the the economic development that's 00:07:32.420 --> 00:07:34.779 occurring in the county um because that's what 00:07:34.779 --> 00:07:37.600 i really wanted to focus on today and specifically 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:42.250 what i'm trying to do during this interim period 00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:45.389 between legislative sessions is talk about issues 00:07:45.389 --> 00:07:47.050 that we didn't really get a chance to talk about 00:07:47.050 --> 00:07:49.069 during the legislative session. We really focus 00:07:49.069 --> 00:07:51.110 on kind of what's happening with different bills, 00:07:51.449 --> 00:07:54.610 what's happening with policy issues, what might 00:07:54.610 --> 00:07:56.629 be happening with the budget. But I wanted to 00:07:56.629 --> 00:07:59.230 focus more on just kind of what's happening in 00:07:59.230 --> 00:08:01.889 some of our counties. And there's a couple of 00:08:01.889 --> 00:08:03.370 things that are really intriguing to me about 00:08:03.370 --> 00:08:05.230 Lewis County, which is obviously just south of 00:08:05.230 --> 00:08:08.750 here. And that's, you know, number one, you guys 00:08:08.750 --> 00:08:12.009 have a lot of interest. involvement from the 00:08:12.009 --> 00:08:15.170 county commissioners in economic development. 00:08:15.250 --> 00:08:17.790 And I know a lot of counties talk about that. 00:08:17.829 --> 00:08:19.870 There's a lot of lip service to economic development, 00:08:19.990 --> 00:08:21.850 but I think a lot of our members really struggle 00:08:21.850 --> 00:08:25.389 on understanding their role in economic development. 00:08:25.529 --> 00:08:27.189 And some of our communities, especially the more 00:08:27.189 --> 00:08:29.189 rural ones that are not in the Puget Sound region 00:08:29.189 --> 00:08:31.889 and not on the I -5 corridor in particular, and 00:08:31.889 --> 00:08:34.980 maybe not even near. major interstate really 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:38.580 struggle with attracting economic development. 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:40.519 So I want to talk about that a little bit. But 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:43.100 I also want to focus on a pretty unique kind 00:08:43.100 --> 00:08:46.220 of facet of that in Lewis County, which is, you 00:08:46.220 --> 00:08:49.559 know, Lewis County is quietly kind of this, like 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:52.019 energy hub in Washington State, you have been 00:08:52.019 --> 00:08:54.159 for a really long time with the TransAlta facility. 00:08:54.820 --> 00:08:58.179 And you're really, you know, creatively trying 00:08:58.179 --> 00:09:00.240 to find ways to repurpose that facility, we'll 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:04.129 get into it a little bit. But I don't think most 00:09:04.129 --> 00:09:07.210 people would put Lewis County on the map when 00:09:07.210 --> 00:09:09.110 they think about energy development in Washington. 00:09:09.549 --> 00:09:12.250 And TransAlta is not the only thing you've got 00:09:12.250 --> 00:09:15.830 going on. And you've worked on some things and 00:09:15.830 --> 00:09:18.529 you've failed at a couple of things, but you've 00:09:18.529 --> 00:09:20.610 been successful at a couple of other things too 00:09:20.610 --> 00:09:22.370 around energy. And I thought maybe we could chat 00:09:22.370 --> 00:09:25.169 about that a little bit today. Why don't you 00:09:25.169 --> 00:09:28.549 start by just kind of telling people what TransAlta 00:09:28.549 --> 00:09:32.470 is and why it's significant both to them and 00:09:32.470 --> 00:09:36.549 to you? So TransAlta was at one point our highest 00:09:36.549 --> 00:09:40.870 economic producer for the county, and especially 00:09:40.870 --> 00:09:43.389 for Centralia and our junior taxing districts. 00:09:43.490 --> 00:09:46.590 And then when the big announcement came from... 00:09:46.590 --> 00:09:49.149 So just to be clear, TransAlta is an energy... 00:09:49.149 --> 00:09:53.649 It's actually an electrical plant. Yes, it's 00:09:53.649 --> 00:09:56.809 an electrical coal fire. Yeah, coal plant, very 00:09:56.809 --> 00:10:01.899 clean. They do a great job. But when we got the 00:10:01.899 --> 00:10:03.919 announcement that it was going to close in 2006, 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:06.899 it really devastated because that's when they 00:10:06.899 --> 00:10:10.100 turned part of it off and the devaluation of 00:10:10.100 --> 00:10:14.840 the plant began. And it dropped half of its evaluation, 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:18.080 a lot of jobs that were lost. It was the number 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:20.779 one taxpayer in the county. It was. We had all 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:24.879 of our eggs in one basket. So that must have 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:28.049 hurt. It is. Still today, it hurts. Our high 00:10:28.049 --> 00:10:31.850 school, our school in Centralia is 100 % free 00:10:31.850 --> 00:10:34.289 and reduced lunches or just free lunch, not reduced 00:10:34.289 --> 00:10:37.909 free because over 70 % of the families qualify 00:10:37.909 --> 00:10:41.990 for it. In Centralia? In Centralia. That's shocking 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:44.269 to me. It is very shocking. Well, we've never 00:10:44.269 --> 00:10:47.210 really until lately where we're starting to see 00:10:47.210 --> 00:10:51.279 more. opportunities for jobs. But when you start 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:54.700 thinking about what, you know, distribution centers, 00:10:54.940 --> 00:10:59.759 warehouses, manufacturing. Those didn't replace 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:02.879 the jobs that were out at TransAlta because you 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:06.259 got paid a really good wage out there. When I 00:11:06.259 --> 00:11:08.059 was a kid, I knew people that worked out there, 00:11:08.100 --> 00:11:10.639 truck drivers and coal miners and plant operators. 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:12.240 All my friends, their parents worked out there. 00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:15.039 My Little League team was sponsored by. It wasn't 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:17.259 TransAlta at the time. It was like WIDCO or something 00:11:17.259 --> 00:11:20.080 like that back then. And my Little League team 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:22.200 was sponsored by them for years and years and 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:26.379 years. And even my neighbor, even my next -door 00:11:26.379 --> 00:11:28.799 neighbor was one of them. major plant operators 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:31.059 out there and that just went away like almost 00:11:31.059 --> 00:11:34.059 overnight yeah well it did it was overnight and 00:11:34.059 --> 00:11:39.000 then you had this mass exodus and then what came 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:42.419 in to fill the void you know there were no real 00:11:42.419 --> 00:11:45.679 good jobs in the area and so there was more of 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:48.399 a depression type era and you drive through downtown 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:51.539 centralia you might have a few antique shops 00:11:51.539 --> 00:11:54.559 but it was pretty empty and dead and yeah i remember 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:57.559 those days it was really sad because i had actually 00:11:57.559 --> 00:12:03.740 left in 2002 down to vancouver and when i came 00:12:03.740 --> 00:12:08.740 back around 2008 It was a total different place. 00:12:09.039 --> 00:12:14.000 I just couldn't believe what had happened. I 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.720 think slowly but surely we're finally getting 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:19.980 out of it. But now we're facing the looming closure 00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:23.639 of the plant here at the end of 2025. Yeah, it 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:26.899 actually has a final shutdown date of December 00:12:26.899 --> 00:12:31.200 31st of this year. Yeah, 1159. Yeah. And that's 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:33.700 the last boiler. So that's going to come offline. 00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:36.259 And right now they're no longer digging coal 00:12:36.259 --> 00:12:38.039 out there like they used to. No, they ship it 00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:39.279 in from Wyoming. They ship it in, right. So all 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:40.919 that's going to stop. So all that rail traffic 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:44.919 is going to stop. All of the production of the 00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:47.159 facility is going to stop. It's going to go offline. 00:12:47.259 --> 00:12:49.399 So how many jobs are still left out there? I 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:53.500 would probably say less than 50, maybe 30. And 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:57.480 then, you know, gradually they've been. letting 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:00.000 more and more people go and people but the other 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:02.120 great thing is TransAlta has been doing a good 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:05.159 job on providing if they want to go back to school 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:07.919 to learn a new trade or something they've they've 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:11.279 put money aside to help re -educate them to get 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:14.279 them back into the workforce of in some sort 00:13:14.279 --> 00:13:16.580 we do have first mode that's out there that's 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:20.980 testing mining equipment for hydrogen or electric 00:13:22.529 --> 00:13:24.990 Yeah, they do like a diesel conversion, right? 00:13:25.090 --> 00:13:28.350 Right. For heavy equipment. I was looking them 00:13:28.350 --> 00:13:30.909 up, I think yesterday or today, just kind of 00:13:30.909 --> 00:13:33.909 doing a little research for this. Yeah. Are they 00:13:33.909 --> 00:13:36.610 a big employer out on the site? No, not really. 00:13:36.730 --> 00:13:40.909 Not really. But I will tell you the best thing 00:13:40.909 --> 00:13:44.309 that happened to Washington was the transition 00:13:44.309 --> 00:13:48.720 between Inslee and Ferguson. Because Inslee had 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:50.639 this approach. And this is ultimately because 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:53.179 we were looking to put a hydrogen plant out there. 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:59.679 We were awarded a billion dollars to our Centroia 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:01.700 hub. Yeah, that was just a couple of years ago, 00:14:01.899 --> 00:14:04.179 right? Wasn't that federal money? It was federal 00:14:04.179 --> 00:14:09.019 money. And I think one out of six different hydrogen 00:14:09.019 --> 00:14:13.919 hubs. Was TransAlta part of that future plan 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:16.799 for the facility? No, I think... So very interesting. 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:19.580 When I first was elected as county commissioner, 00:14:19.799 --> 00:14:22.840 in the first two months, we received this letter 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:27.299 from TransAlta or WDFW, where TransAlta was going 00:14:27.299 --> 00:14:30.820 to give the land. I remember I got a phone call 00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:36.240 about that. To WDFW. And that was the first time 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:38.419 I went on the radio. And they asked, so what's 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:40.539 going on in Lewis County? Well, let me tell you. 00:14:41.500 --> 00:14:43.860 TransAlta is leaving, giving us the big middle 00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:46.799 finger, going to give all of our land to WDFW, 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:49.799 who doesn't manage our land very well and just 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:52.879 kind of torpedoed the whole thing. Yeah, I remember 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:56.399 all that. Had to reel my mouth back in. Well, 00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:59.220 you know, new county commissioners, big radio 00:14:59.220 --> 00:15:02.559 microphone. It was my rookie card, okay? But 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:05.360 what it did do, though, is it forced everyone 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:09.740 to the table. That deal was... put aside. And 00:15:09.740 --> 00:15:12.460 then through the course of, you know, the next 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:15.659 few years with the hydrogen piece, Transultus 00:15:15.659 --> 00:15:18.720 is staying and they're starting to look at different 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:22.919 things. And now even though the hydrogen thing 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:25.860 fell apart because we could not get the price 00:15:25.860 --> 00:15:29.720 point we needed to get hydrogen to where it made 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:32.740 fiscal sense for a private company to come do 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:35.480 that. Yeah. Even with, you know, a billion dollar. 00:15:36.350 --> 00:15:39.490 infusion in federal money yeah into the project 00:15:39.490 --> 00:15:42.830 the problem was is our past governor governor 00:15:42.830 --> 00:15:47.570 inslee wanted 100 green energy producing green 00:15:47.570 --> 00:15:51.389 energy and you couldn't have it braided and he 00:15:51.389 --> 00:15:56.120 also deemed it that hydro electricity was not 00:15:56.120 --> 00:15:58.899 green energy right and so that really killed 00:15:58.899 --> 00:16:02.639 the project but now even though i mean it's the 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:05.100 greenest of the green it's the greenest of the 00:16:05.100 --> 00:16:06.799 green right there's no question there's no emissions 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:09.159 associated and we we even had windmills out there 00:16:09.159 --> 00:16:11.059 and they were looking to put in a solar plant 00:16:11.059 --> 00:16:13.440 but we just they couldn't pencil it out and so 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:16.059 forest you ended up just leaving all together 00:16:16.059 --> 00:16:18.259 and i think they abandoned several of their other 00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:20.200 projects and they just went back to australia 00:16:20.200 --> 00:16:24.509 which is fine um So this was an Australian company 00:16:24.509 --> 00:16:26.049 that was coming in and actually looking at the 00:16:26.049 --> 00:16:28.370 site that you were partnering with. Former state 00:16:28.370 --> 00:16:32.750 representative Richard DeBolt was part of that 00:16:32.750 --> 00:16:35.950 project as well. I feel like we're getting a 00:16:35.950 --> 00:16:39.009 little bit ahead of ourselves, and I just want 00:16:39.009 --> 00:16:40.370 to explain a couple of things to the listener 00:16:40.370 --> 00:16:43.529 who may not be familiar with this site. So what's 00:16:43.529 --> 00:16:45.190 interesting about TransAlta is it's operated 00:16:45.190 --> 00:16:47.970 for decades in Centralia, and it was a huge, 00:16:47.970 --> 00:16:51.269 big part of the economy. The state, with its... 00:16:52.719 --> 00:16:55.019 policies around greenhouse gas emission reductions 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:58.200 really targeted it as the only coal -fired facility 00:16:58.200 --> 00:17:00.799 remaining in Washington state for shutdown. And 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:03.659 there was a settlement in 2011, or there was 00:17:03.659 --> 00:17:06.539 a settlement in 2010, and then there was an actual 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:08.880 bill, I think some legislation in 2011, that 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:12.420 kind of laid out the timeframe for it and the 00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:15.079 terms for it to decommission, which, as you mentioned, 00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:16.799 ends this year. And since then, you guys have 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:19.279 really worked on all kinds of different ideas. 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:22.519 What's interesting about the fish and wildlife 00:17:22.519 --> 00:17:25.279 piece that happened when you were just brand 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:27.119 new as a county commissioner several years ago 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:31.440 was that site is We should probably tell people 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:35.059 it's actually kind of remote in Lewis County. 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:37.559 It's not near an urban center at all. It's very 00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:40.599 unusual. You actually go down this urban road. 00:17:41.059 --> 00:17:45.359 You either cut off at the park, at Schaefer Park, 00:17:45.619 --> 00:17:47.240 right, and go over the railroad tracks if you 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:49.619 know Lewis County. Good memory. Or you come from 00:17:49.619 --> 00:17:52.519 the backside of Bucoda, which is in South Thurston 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:54.819 County, right, and you follow that road around, 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:57.220 and it's a big, windy kind of country road, and 00:17:57.220 --> 00:17:59.809 you come around a corner. Boom. It's right there. 00:17:59.829 --> 00:18:03.430 There's this huge facility and you just go, what? 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:06.859 is going on here and it almost looks like a nuclear 00:18:06.859 --> 00:18:09.640 facility right it looks like this weird kind 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:12.960 of contraption and you know back in the day there 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:14.779 was a coal mine out there too it was a plaster 00:18:14.779 --> 00:18:17.019 mine which means they're scraping it off the 00:18:17.019 --> 00:18:18.859 surface rather than you know tunneling underground 00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:21.619 and there were these huge trucks with tires the 00:18:21.619 --> 00:18:25.059 size of you know taller than most men right oh 00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:27.980 yeah unless you're like 20 foot tall right driving 00:18:27.980 --> 00:18:29.819 you know and people driving these trucks back 00:18:29.819 --> 00:18:32.980 and forth and burning coal but the other interesting 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:36.299 piece to it is there's a lot of recreational 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:39.359 land out there too and a lot of wetlands out 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:41.920 there there's a big elk herd out there so from 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:44.200 a habitat perspective it's also in a recreation 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:46.539 perspective it's also got some attractiveness 00:18:46.539 --> 00:18:50.160 and then the other piece that was key to the 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:52.500 green hydrogen that you also didn't mention was 00:18:52.500 --> 00:18:56.099 the reservoir yes there's a skook dam yeah the 00:18:56.099 --> 00:18:58.230 skookum chuck dam which is a which is actually 00:18:58.230 --> 00:19:02.230 a pretty good -sized reservoir that... And it 00:19:02.230 --> 00:19:04.869 generates one kilowatt of power too. Yeah, and 00:19:04.869 --> 00:19:07.269 I didn't know that until recently. I didn't know 00:19:07.269 --> 00:19:10.009 that they actually generated... off of that reservoir. 00:19:10.210 --> 00:19:12.950 But they used that water, obviously, to create 00:19:12.950 --> 00:19:15.549 the steam, right, that would turn the turbines. 00:19:16.009 --> 00:19:18.309 So they burn the coal, boil the water, create 00:19:18.309 --> 00:19:20.349 the steam, turn the turbines, create the electricity. 00:19:21.049 --> 00:19:23.789 And so that's what made it attractive to green 00:19:23.789 --> 00:19:26.190 hydrogen, right? So explain what green hydrogen 00:19:26.190 --> 00:19:32.180 is. Green hydrogen is, well, I mean... It's basically 00:19:32.180 --> 00:19:35.740 a water molecule that's being separated, and 00:19:35.740 --> 00:19:41.420 it's really not for electricity. It's for battery 00:19:41.420 --> 00:19:44.440 storage. So you're having to take electricity, 00:19:44.460 --> 00:19:48.839 and you're using a lot of electricity to convert 00:19:48.839 --> 00:19:54.480 it to battery storage type of deal. And just 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:56.920 to even back up a little further, while you're 00:19:56.920 --> 00:20:00.700 talking about it being a remote area, the other 00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:04.140 thing that I want people to understand that it's 00:20:04.140 --> 00:20:07.000 an industrial land, it's zoned as industrial. 00:20:07.900 --> 00:20:10.599 industrial land well and it's this by the way 00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:14.180 all predates gma right right long before the 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:16.920 gma but it's also a federal opportunity zone 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:19.259 so there's some incentives that you get from 00:20:19.259 --> 00:20:21.980 the federal government as well and the highest 00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:24.700 best use because of all the infrastructure all 00:20:24.700 --> 00:20:29.039 the key pieces is for power production and then 00:20:29.480 --> 00:20:33.099 To talk about the WDFW part, it's not necessarily 00:20:33.099 --> 00:20:35.880 that WDFW would manage the lands. It's what they 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:37.440 were wanting to do with the lands where they 00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:42.539 wanted to introduce endangered species that were 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:46.000 not native to that land. Oh, interesting. I think 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:48.200 there was like four different species that they 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:51.859 wanted to put there. And just knowing how endangered 00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:56.990 areas, lands are. What business is going to want 00:20:56.990 --> 00:21:00.450 to relocate out there when you have endangered 00:21:00.450 --> 00:21:03.690 species and some of the regulations? It could 00:21:03.690 --> 00:21:06.730 create some challenges. I mean, why go there 00:21:06.730 --> 00:21:08.410 when you could go here and you don't even have 00:21:08.410 --> 00:21:11.150 to deal with endangered species? Well, it's just 00:21:11.150 --> 00:21:13.529 such an interesting and unique site, I think, 00:21:13.549 --> 00:21:17.210 because it predates GMA. You've got a major power 00:21:17.210 --> 00:21:21.130 production facility out there. You've got a huge 00:21:21.130 --> 00:21:24.319 water right associated with it. Excuse me. You've 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:27.160 got all kinds of interest around it from a variety 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:29.539 of different perspectives. And, you know, in 00:21:29.539 --> 00:21:31.960 today's world, to put an industrial site with 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:33.880 that kind of infrastructure in that location 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:35.900 would be so cost -friendly. And we have rail. 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:38.799 Yeah, right. You've got rail going right to it. 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:43.250 I mean, it's like a... It's like a unicorn. Right. 00:21:43.369 --> 00:21:46.769 It's a dream. Right. But also, it's been a huge 00:21:46.769 --> 00:21:49.170 challenge for you guys to try to figure out, 00:21:49.230 --> 00:21:52.569 okay, what's next? So you tried the green hydrogen 00:21:52.569 --> 00:21:57.569 route. It would seem like all of the nuggets 00:21:57.569 --> 00:22:00.269 were dropping from the sky at the right place 00:22:00.269 --> 00:22:01.970 at the right time in the right site. So exciting 00:22:01.970 --> 00:22:04.940 at the time. Super exciting. blows up you know 00:22:04.940 --> 00:22:08.440 fails for a variety of different reasons so what's 00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:11.440 next for that site i mean you guys you know there's 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:13.940 a lot of competing interests you got one you 00:22:13.940 --> 00:22:16.180 mentioned you had first mode out there right 00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:22.500 now and they are um they convert diesel to other 00:22:22.500 --> 00:22:25.160 types of hydrogen or battery, clean fuels for 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:27.000 heavy equipment. Right. And so they're kind of 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:29.359 doing some, some work out there with their group, 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:30.880 but you mentioned that's not a huge employer. 00:22:30.940 --> 00:22:34.880 So what's next? So I, what I really hope in what 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:38.099 I, you know, just trying to read the room on 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:41.859 different conversations is potentially, you know, 00:22:41.859 --> 00:22:45.269 because of, you know, having Ferguson as the 00:22:45.269 --> 00:22:48.410 governor and a little bit more compromise on 00:22:48.410 --> 00:22:50.789 things because if we just keep turning stuff 00:22:50.789 --> 00:22:54.410 off and never turning anything on, that's only 00:22:54.410 --> 00:22:56.289 going to make... From an energy point of view. 00:22:56.309 --> 00:22:58.769 Right, from an energy perspective, then that's 00:22:58.769 --> 00:23:02.250 going to hurt our grid. Well, we know we need 00:23:02.250 --> 00:23:05.049 twice as much, right? For sure. In the next 20 00:23:05.049 --> 00:23:06.970 years as we have today. I think it's actually 00:23:06.970 --> 00:23:08.750 more than that because you have all the data 00:23:08.750 --> 00:23:11.170 centers, you have AI, you have Bitcoin, you have 00:23:11.170 --> 00:23:13.289 all these things that are just sucking up energy. 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:17.460 And we don't have that coming online to produce 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:20.039 the amount of energy that these types of resources 00:23:20.039 --> 00:23:23.099 need. The other interesting thing that is out 00:23:23.099 --> 00:23:27.660 there in Senator Braun, John Braun, for the 20th, 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:31.440 help get funding to put a natural gas plant out 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:45.160 there at TransAlta. Okay, you just broke a rule. 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:48.799 I gave an acronym, didn't I? Small Modular Reactor. 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:51.680 It's a basically, yeah, it's nuclear, basically. 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:55.599 It's the same thing that they put on the submarines. 00:23:56.240 --> 00:24:02.119 Small, containable. The cleanest energy that 00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:04.500 you can produce. And it's basically free and 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:06.380 just goes on and on and on and on. For sure. 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:08.700 I mean, it's not free then. It's not free. Yeah, 00:24:08.779 --> 00:24:10.740 it's going to cost some money. But once it's 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:13.559 operational, it's the lowest cost power that 00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:17.259 you can find. Right. But potentially, they could 00:24:17.259 --> 00:24:22.180 drag a line over the road. I mean, obviously 00:24:22.180 --> 00:24:23.839 there's some infrastructure things that you would 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:26.940 have to do and convert that coal fire plant to 00:24:26.940 --> 00:24:31.059 a natural gas plant. Continue that with the understanding 00:24:31.059 --> 00:24:35.099 that we're going to add other elements with the 00:24:35.099 --> 00:24:39.240 end game being that we'll get something like 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:42.940 the nuclear. out there at the plant to produce 00:24:42.940 --> 00:24:46.019 power. That's going to be a power production 00:24:46.019 --> 00:24:48.819 site. You have all the infrastructure, you have 00:24:48.819 --> 00:24:52.799 all the tie lines that are there, the rail, everything 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:56.180 you need. And then from that, I think we're going 00:24:56.180 --> 00:25:02.880 to get off takers for the AI plants, for server 00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:08.640 farms, potentially Bitcoin that are... high energy 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:12.059 consumers right there on the same site yeah so 00:25:12.059 --> 00:25:15.660 lewis county still is a big natural resource 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:19.359 -based economy, right? Lots of farmers. You're 00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:20.859 one of the few places that still has a lot of 00:25:20.859 --> 00:25:23.900 dairies. Right. Although not as many as you used 00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:26.279 to. Tomorrow at 10 .30, I'm picking up from a 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:29.599 local farmer my whole milk that they bring in 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:32.940 to town. All right, good for you. But I know 00:25:32.940 --> 00:25:34.279 you've still got a lot of dairies out there. 00:25:34.339 --> 00:25:35.759 You've got a lot of other farmers out there, 00:25:36.039 --> 00:25:41.740 row crops. You've got a lot of timber still. 00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:46.619 Timber's still big. Big. Big industry in Lewis 00:25:46.619 --> 00:25:49.619 County. Seems to me, and this has been talked 00:25:49.619 --> 00:25:52.000 about in the past. And we also have this thing 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:54.240 called the fake owl, the spotted owl. That's 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:56.440 never been found out there. All right. We're 00:25:56.440 --> 00:26:00.160 not going to talk about the owl. But it seems 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:04.359 to me that. You know, with all of that going 00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:08.480 on, biomass could be a potential as well. And 00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:10.539 that's been talked about at this site in the 00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:12.920 past. But, you know, I haven't heard that talked 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:16.380 about with regard to this site for probably 20 00:26:16.380 --> 00:26:19.200 years. Everything else that's been talked about 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:22.539 has now been kind of green hydrogen and other 00:26:22.539 --> 00:26:25.380 options like that. You know, it seems like the 00:26:25.380 --> 00:26:27.900 biomass discussions have kind of gone away. It 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:30.160 hasn't. Oh, it hasn't? It has not gone away out 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:34.519 there. That is something that is... very likely 00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:37.660 to be on the table to go out there as well. Mind 00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:41.640 you, we have a site, the IPAT parcel, that we've 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:45.599 invested over $10 million that is ready right 00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:50.440 now for some type of energy producer or offtaker 00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:54.400 to come out to the TransAlta site to work in 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:58.680 conjunction with TransAlta and what they're doing. 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:03.720 So you mentioned that Senator Braun, was instrumental 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:06.500 in getting a... You said a... Funding. Natural 00:27:06.500 --> 00:27:08.099 gas plant. Funding for a natural gas plant. Is 00:27:08.099 --> 00:27:10.839 the natural gas plant operational? Yes. Well, 00:27:10.839 --> 00:27:14.759 it still has natural gas flowing to it. I'm not 00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:19.000 sure as to what it's actually being used for 00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:23.720 currently. Okay. But I do know that there... 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:27.819 And these are all my thoughts. This is nothing 00:27:27.819 --> 00:27:30.900 where I'm... you know, what I'm hoping happens. 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:32.700 Don't worry, nobody listens to this podcast. 00:27:32.900 --> 00:27:35.819 No, people do. And I want to make sure that people 00:27:35.819 --> 00:27:39.119 understand that this is not TransAlta's plans, 00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:41.640 that this is not someone else's plans. This is 00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:44.539 just what I'm hoping happens in the area. And 00:27:44.539 --> 00:27:47.589 all my comments are... like reserved for myself. 00:27:47.730 --> 00:27:50.509 But anyway, so... Disclaimer. These comments 00:27:50.509 --> 00:27:52.849 are Commissioner Swope's and Commissioner Swope's 00:27:52.849 --> 00:27:56.630 alone. Let's see. Lewis County and the state 00:27:56.630 --> 00:27:59.809 legislature do not endorse or deny anything that 00:27:59.809 --> 00:28:01.390 Commissioner Swope is saying on this podcast. 00:28:01.690 --> 00:28:02.950 Okay, take it away, Commissioner. All right. 00:28:03.089 --> 00:28:08.549 So I really strongly feel that potentially that 00:28:08.549 --> 00:28:10.609 they'll take that natural gas over to that plant, 00:28:10.710 --> 00:28:14.190 turn it back on, and then... So there's a line 00:28:14.190 --> 00:28:17.069 out there, but there's not really... No one's 00:28:17.069 --> 00:28:20.470 basically running a natural gas plant currently. 00:28:20.930 --> 00:28:25.849 You have everything there. Okay. That's interesting 00:28:25.849 --> 00:28:28.269 because I thought you said there was a plant 00:28:28.269 --> 00:28:29.970 operating. I thought, well, wait a minute. That 00:28:29.970 --> 00:28:33.710 doesn't meet the new standards for clean energy 00:28:33.710 --> 00:28:36.589 under CETA. Of course, breaking my own rules, 00:28:36.630 --> 00:28:38.630 CETA is the Clean Energy Transformation Act that 00:28:38.630 --> 00:28:40.329 was passed a few years ago in Washington that 00:28:40.329 --> 00:28:43.250 mandates that basically all of the energy produced 00:28:43.250 --> 00:28:47.140 and sold here has to be... considered clean energy 00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:49.980 by a date certain. I think it's 2045. What about 00:28:49.980 --> 00:28:52.640 natural is not clean? Well, they don't because 00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:55.500 natural gas, of course, emits greenhouse gas 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:57.940 emissions when it's burned. They consider that 00:28:57.940 --> 00:29:02.339 not clean, unlike things like solar, wind, geothermal, 00:29:02.539 --> 00:29:05.880 et cetera. But I think when you start braiding 00:29:05.880 --> 00:29:08.380 some of these things together, so when you have 00:29:08.380 --> 00:29:11.240 solar, you have your wind, and then you use natural 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:16.069 gas for an interim period to ensure, Well, it's 00:29:16.069 --> 00:29:17.609 definitely more reliable, right? You can turn 00:29:17.609 --> 00:29:19.130 it on and turn it off just like hydro. Without 00:29:19.130 --> 00:29:21.769 question. Yeah. And it could even be a peaker 00:29:21.769 --> 00:29:24.130 plant, which would, in my opinion, would just 00:29:24.130 --> 00:29:26.670 stay on all the time because we need more power. 00:29:26.789 --> 00:29:30.109 But for a biomass plant, you have to have it. 00:29:30.150 --> 00:29:34.410 I mean, because biomass works a lot like coal. 00:29:35.430 --> 00:29:38.500 Instead of burning coal, you're burning... you 00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:40.759 know, essentially residual wood products, right? 00:29:40.839 --> 00:29:43.319 Things that you're not using in another way. 00:29:43.400 --> 00:29:46.400 These are, you know, the leftover limbs and other 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:49.579 things or residue leftover from even crop yields, 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:52.299 et cetera. You burn those that boil the water 00:29:52.299 --> 00:29:54.660 that create the steam that turns the turbines. 00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:56.960 you know, creates electricity. It's the same 00:29:56.960 --> 00:30:01.200 concept, right? So you would still need that 00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:03.000 infrastructure out there regardless. Right, and 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:06.039 so that's why I say the natural gas is the short 00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:08.259 term because it's going to take three to five 00:30:08.259 --> 00:30:11.480 years to get something else online. And so if 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:14.200 we can get an agreement that for the interim 00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:17.359 period, we're going to run natural gas, and then 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:20.940 five years from now, we're going to either have 00:30:20.940 --> 00:30:27.589 SMRs, nuclear, or biomass or another type of 00:30:27.589 --> 00:30:30.589 energy producer out there which could be hydrogen 00:30:30.589 --> 00:30:36.069 i think transalta is going to be the main player 00:30:36.069 --> 00:30:38.869 in the game i think they're here to stay i don't 00:30:38.869 --> 00:30:41.789 think they're going anywhere and just otherwise 00:30:41.789 --> 00:30:46.140 i think you would have already seen a major sale 00:30:46.140 --> 00:30:48.660 taking place on that plants. I think they would 00:30:48.660 --> 00:30:51.720 have liquidated things, but they have not. And 00:30:51.720 --> 00:30:54.000 I think they're doubling down and they want to 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:57.519 stay in Centralia. And they want to make sure 00:30:57.519 --> 00:31:01.480 that that plant continues to produce energy. 00:31:01.880 --> 00:31:03.680 Well, they're certainly rebranding themselves 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:06.759 as a clean energy producer. If you go to their 00:31:06.759 --> 00:31:09.539 website, you know, they do show the coal plant 00:31:09.539 --> 00:31:12.440 on there, but they show it in transition. And 00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:15.799 then they're highlighting the hydrogen, not hydrogen, 00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:18.299 the hydroelectric power at the Skookumchuck Dam 00:31:18.299 --> 00:31:20.819 that we mentioned, the reservoir. And they own 00:31:20.819 --> 00:31:23.619 the wind facility as well? They do. Okay. Which 00:31:23.619 --> 00:31:27.259 is above the reservoir. essentially on the hillsides, 00:31:27.259 --> 00:31:31.039 it's... It's one of the few wind facilities in 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:32.920 Washington that's actually kind of hard to see. 00:31:33.140 --> 00:31:35.359 You have to be in the right place at the right 00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:37.819 elevation to see it. If you're just in Centralia 00:31:37.819 --> 00:31:39.640 or Chehalis, you actually don't see it at all. 00:31:39.880 --> 00:31:41.599 Yeah, well, the people in Centralia see it and 00:31:41.599 --> 00:31:43.640 they let me know about it. Oh, do they? We need 00:31:43.640 --> 00:31:46.500 to get those lights off at night. Well, the problem 00:31:46.500 --> 00:31:48.980 is the planes can't see them at night. Well, 00:31:48.980 --> 00:31:52.000 the new technology is that when a plane enters 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:55.400 a certain radius, they just need to take that 00:31:55.400 --> 00:31:57.960 technology, put it on, and then... Hopefully 00:31:57.960 --> 00:32:02.259 we'll be golden. So in Kittitas County, we used 00:32:02.259 --> 00:32:04.579 to get a lot of calls, as you can imagine, about 00:32:04.579 --> 00:32:06.339 the wind turbines as well, especially when the 00:32:06.339 --> 00:32:08.759 new ones came up. The bird killers. Yeah, among 00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:13.119 other things. But where I was kind of going with 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:16.079 this was, or the next thing I thought maybe we 00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:20.000 could talk about is, you said TransAlta's going 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:22.039 to stay. They're kind of rebranding their entire 00:32:22.039 --> 00:32:24.619 operation, not just in Washington, but nationally. 00:32:24.619 --> 00:32:26.920 When you listen to their board meetings. They 00:32:26.920 --> 00:32:29.859 are staying. Which is great news for Lewis County. 00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:32.740 100%. And we've talked about this unique site, 00:32:32.819 --> 00:32:35.380 this kind of unicorn of a site, et cetera, and 00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:38.180 some of the challenges associated with redevelopment, 00:32:38.180 --> 00:32:39.900 but also kind of the things that you'd like to 00:32:39.900 --> 00:32:43.519 see. What is the county actually doing? What 00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:46.900 is the county's role? What are you doing to kind 00:32:46.900 --> 00:32:50.950 of move this thing along and create? On the ground, 00:32:50.990 --> 00:32:54.130 this vision that you actually have for economic 00:32:54.130 --> 00:32:56.069 development, for redevelopment at that site, 00:32:56.170 --> 00:32:59.650 what tools are you guys actually employing? Permitting, 00:32:59.869 --> 00:33:04.529 policy, getting ready for whatever changes that 00:33:04.529 --> 00:33:07.690 they're going to want to be made, getting in 00:33:07.690 --> 00:33:08.910 the room with them. Do they actually come to 00:33:08.910 --> 00:33:10.470 you and say, hey, here's what we're thinking, 00:33:10.609 --> 00:33:12.589 but we need you to change something, and you 00:33:12.589 --> 00:33:14.710 guys kind of look? Is that how that's going, 00:33:14.809 --> 00:33:19.440 or are you going to them? We're having conversations 00:33:19.440 --> 00:33:23.079 with them to where we're meeting with them and 00:33:23.079 --> 00:33:25.480 talking about potential possibilities that could 00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:28.299 happen and working, figuring out what in our 00:33:28.299 --> 00:33:31.279 code could be barriers or roadblocks because 00:33:31.279 --> 00:33:35.390 we want to be able to permit and plan it. Pieces 00:33:35.390 --> 00:33:38.849 of it will have to go to FSEC, which stands for? 00:33:39.009 --> 00:33:41.569 The Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. 00:33:41.809 --> 00:33:46.309 Right. But as much as we can have a say in the 00:33:46.309 --> 00:33:48.789 permitting and the planning process, we want 00:33:48.789 --> 00:33:51.230 to do it. We're actually doing a master site 00:33:51.230 --> 00:33:55.920 plan with it right now. So you're doing a master 00:33:55.920 --> 00:33:59.359 site plan for that TransAlta site. Correct. Do 00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:01.980 you own that land out there, or does TransAlta 00:34:01.980 --> 00:34:04.200 own it? TransAlta owns it. Okay, but you're doing 00:34:04.200 --> 00:34:06.740 kind of the planning work around it. Yes. We 00:34:06.740 --> 00:34:11.000 own IPAT, though. tell me what that ipad is a 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:14.119 piece during the negotiations they gave us this 00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:17.219 parcel we actually have three parcels to where 00:34:17.219 --> 00:34:20.500 we could develop and bring some type of industry 00:34:20.500 --> 00:34:23.840 out there okay but you really have to keep the 00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:26.659 lights on in order to get someone to come out 00:34:26.659 --> 00:34:29.820 there to be an offtaker of the power producing 00:34:29.820 --> 00:34:35.940 energy so we have site one to where we've invested 00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:39.690 millions of dollars it's I don't know, like 40, 00:34:39.909 --> 00:34:44.230 50 acres. Maybe that's too big. But it's huge 00:34:44.230 --> 00:34:48.829 and it's ready for some type of off -taker or 00:34:48.829 --> 00:34:51.230 producer. So you guys have already put some infrastructure 00:34:51.230 --> 00:34:53.829 in there. 100%. So you took all the risk. Yes. 00:34:53.829 --> 00:34:55.449 As the county, you put the infrastructure in. 00:34:55.489 --> 00:34:57.550 You're hoping that someone will be able to say, 00:34:57.710 --> 00:35:00.150 okay. Someone's going to use it. This is attractive 00:35:00.150 --> 00:35:02.449 to me because it's already ready for me. It's 00:35:02.449 --> 00:35:05.309 high interest. when you say that the hydrogen 00:35:05.309 --> 00:35:08.789 piece, it blew up and failed. It actually helped 00:35:08.789 --> 00:35:11.289 us though, because it put us back on the map 00:35:11.289 --> 00:35:15.190 and everyone's like, Oh, look at that site. And 00:35:15.190 --> 00:35:17.570 so now there's interest. And I know that the 00:35:17.570 --> 00:35:22.050 economic, um, the EA, I don't, yeah, the EA, 00:35:22.210 --> 00:35:27.070 the economic alliance. Okay. Where Richard DeBolt 00:35:27.070 --> 00:35:30.210 is. So this is a local organization, local organization, 00:35:30.469 --> 00:35:34.679 um, the EDC. Economic Development Council or 00:35:34.679 --> 00:35:35.579 something like that? Right, but they changed 00:35:35.579 --> 00:35:37.719 their name to the Economic Alliance, so the EA. 00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:41.780 They are continuing... Every county has an organization 00:35:41.780 --> 00:35:44.260 like that. Exactly. And so they're constantly 00:35:44.260 --> 00:35:48.480 looking for... potential suitors to come out 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:51.039 there and they're taking phone calls on a weekly 00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:53.719 basis multiple and are they keeping you guys 00:35:53.719 --> 00:35:55.420 informed as to what they're doing absolutely 00:35:55.420 --> 00:35:57.800 and so you're meeting with this economic alliance 00:35:57.800 --> 00:36:00.239 um they're they're meeting directly with the 00:36:00.239 --> 00:36:02.239 board or do you guys have someone assigned to 00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:04.579 this okay yeah and then are you meeting with 00:36:04.579 --> 00:36:07.079 transalta representatives as well as far as you 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:08.820 know kind of keeping up to speed with what's 00:36:08.820 --> 00:36:11.840 going on i have conversations i have At least 00:36:11.840 --> 00:36:14.320 once a month or twice a month, three times a 00:36:14.320 --> 00:36:16.579 month. Is that something that you're doing? Or 00:36:16.579 --> 00:36:18.780 are they doing it more formally with the board 00:36:18.780 --> 00:36:21.099 themselves? Something I'm doing. It's my district. 00:36:21.280 --> 00:36:23.579 And so we're in communication. And they know 00:36:23.579 --> 00:36:26.340 how passionate I am about making sure that that 00:36:26.340 --> 00:36:29.219 area is successful. And then you're keeping your 00:36:29.219 --> 00:36:31.599 seatmates kind of in the loop. Absolutely. Yeah. 00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:34.380 Okay. So you're taking a more active role on 00:36:34.380 --> 00:36:38.039 the ground. 100%. And I think from... You know, 00:36:38.059 --> 00:36:40.739 you asked the question, what are we doing? You 00:36:40.739 --> 00:36:43.179 know, relationship building is really important 00:36:43.179 --> 00:36:45.239 and making sure that you have good relationships 00:36:45.239 --> 00:36:49.320 with your port, with your city council, with 00:36:49.320 --> 00:36:52.159 the other government agencies or other key stakeholders 00:36:52.159 --> 00:36:55.260 that will hopefully have a positive influence 00:36:55.260 --> 00:36:58.659 in that area to bring business in. Because the 00:36:58.659 --> 00:37:01.619 last thing a major business wants to do is to 00:37:01.619 --> 00:37:04.260 come into chaos. Sure. Right. They want to know 00:37:04.260 --> 00:37:06.679 that everyone's on board with what is taking 00:37:06.679 --> 00:37:09.059 place. out there yeah you know business needs 00:37:09.059 --> 00:37:12.159 predictable environment absolutely they need 00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:16.099 they need to be able to have real consistency 00:37:16.099 --> 00:37:18.820 they want predictability they don't want uncertainty 00:37:18.820 --> 00:37:21.980 because why risk money in an uncertain place 00:37:21.980 --> 00:37:24.599 you know you might as well go to the casino if 00:37:24.599 --> 00:37:26.619 you want to do that and I would probably say 00:37:26.619 --> 00:37:28.559 the other relationship the other thing that we're 00:37:28.559 --> 00:37:31.880 doing is working with our lobbyists okay we have 00:37:31.880 --> 00:37:36.199 Josh Weiss he's our lobbyist Troy Nichols Yeah, 00:37:36.380 --> 00:37:39.300 this podcast sponsored by Wiesen Associates. 00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:46.139 Yeah. But, you know, working with their relationships 00:37:46.139 --> 00:37:49.320 to ensure that we're moving things forward in 00:37:49.320 --> 00:37:52.000 a right way, they're a very key part of that 00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:55.320 component as well. So you mentioned relationship 00:37:55.320 --> 00:37:57.980 building. I can't agree with you more, right? 00:37:58.039 --> 00:38:01.409 Relationship building is super important. The 00:38:01.409 --> 00:38:03.269 problem with relationship building sometimes 00:38:03.269 --> 00:38:06.070 in political environments is, you know, elected 00:38:06.070 --> 00:38:08.969 officials have a shelf life at some point, right? 00:38:09.550 --> 00:38:13.090 And the last thing we all, you know, you've been 00:38:13.090 --> 00:38:14.449 a county commissioner. This is your fifth year. 00:38:14.590 --> 00:38:17.210 You know, you're young for a county commissioner. 00:38:18.030 --> 00:38:19.889 I'm not going to say how old you are because 00:38:19.889 --> 00:38:23.300 you're not. that young um but you know by I just 00:38:23.300 --> 00:38:26.119 had my 45th birthday hey see you just gave it 00:38:26.119 --> 00:38:29.219 up July 1st the greatest day of the year but 00:38:29.219 --> 00:38:31.739 you know for for if you look at the average age 00:38:31.739 --> 00:38:33.079 of a county commissioner probably across the 00:38:33.079 --> 00:38:34.880 state you're on the younger side for sure so 00:38:34.880 --> 00:38:36.800 your shelf life is you know maybe a little bit 00:38:36.800 --> 00:38:38.780 longer I don't know how long you want to serve 00:38:38.780 --> 00:38:42.619 you know everyone has uh you know I still I still 00:38:42.619 --> 00:38:45.650 have young kids yeah yeah I want to spend a lot 00:38:45.650 --> 00:38:47.610 of time with my kids. Do your kids like it that 00:38:47.610 --> 00:38:49.489 you're a county commissioner? They love it around 00:38:49.489 --> 00:38:52.090 fair season. My kids loved it too until they 00:38:52.090 --> 00:38:53.909 hit teenage years and went to high school, and 00:38:53.909 --> 00:38:55.889 then it was a different story. My youngest is 00:38:55.889 --> 00:38:58.469 11, so we haven't hit that spot yet. You'll be 00:38:58.469 --> 00:38:59.909 there in a few years. Pretty soon you'll be like, 00:38:59.929 --> 00:39:02.510 I want to be in the picture. I don't want to 00:39:02.510 --> 00:39:05.289 be in the parade. It's so embarrassing. Anyways, 00:39:05.710 --> 00:39:11.090 I digress. But you've got maybe a little longer 00:39:11.090 --> 00:39:14.050 runway than some county commissioners, but at 00:39:14.050 --> 00:39:16.119 some point, You're not going to be a county commissioner 00:39:16.119 --> 00:39:20.679 anymore. And TransAlta or others, they're planning 00:39:20.679 --> 00:39:24.780 decades out. So what are you doing to make sure 00:39:24.780 --> 00:39:28.840 that the next person that comes along doesn't 00:39:28.840 --> 00:39:30.699 unwind all of this stuff? How are you making 00:39:30.699 --> 00:39:32.900 sure that what you're trying to put in place 00:39:32.900 --> 00:39:36.239 today is sustainable for... You know, that predictable 00:39:36.239 --> 00:39:39.639 multi -decade kind of business window that an 00:39:39.639 --> 00:39:42.519 investor is actually looking at. Well, I think 00:39:42.519 --> 00:39:44.719 that comes to making different code changes and 00:39:44.719 --> 00:39:48.699 policy changes that someone would have to unwind. 00:39:48.760 --> 00:39:52.059 But that's also where you're making sure that 00:39:52.059 --> 00:39:55.820 it's a very transparent process. And so you want 00:39:55.820 --> 00:39:58.260 the citizens to be on board with that. And typically 00:39:58.260 --> 00:40:01.710 the citizens are going to vote for. things that 00:40:01.710 --> 00:40:04.309 are going to add value to their life and so if 00:40:04.309 --> 00:40:06.250 they can see this as something that is being 00:40:06.250 --> 00:40:10.030 valuable to their livelihood and that it's enriching 00:40:10.030 --> 00:40:12.809 them and their family they're going to continue 00:40:12.809 --> 00:40:15.530 down that road but once you start doing things 00:40:15.530 --> 00:40:21.409 that are secretive hiding things not communicating 00:40:21.409 --> 00:40:24.530 well that's where people really start to turn 00:40:24.530 --> 00:40:28.190 and so that's where just making sure that you're 00:40:28.190 --> 00:40:31.090 communicating also with the general public, that 00:40:31.090 --> 00:40:33.010 this is something that is good and they see the 00:40:33.010 --> 00:40:35.730 benefit and they see the enrichment of our community. 00:40:37.090 --> 00:40:40.750 You know, they will vote someone that will continue 00:40:40.750 --> 00:40:43.690 us down that road. Well, I think that long -term 00:40:43.690 --> 00:40:45.429 planning that you talked about really helps to 00:40:45.429 --> 00:40:47.230 actually kind of mapping it out and putting it 00:40:47.230 --> 00:40:50.670 on paper. And especially, you know, keeping your 00:40:50.670 --> 00:40:53.170 colleagues your seat mates you know in the loop 00:40:53.170 --> 00:40:55.889 and if they're supportive that really helps it's 00:40:55.889 --> 00:40:58.489 kind of like once you put that stake in the ground 00:40:58.489 --> 00:41:01.590 that everybody agrees to the you know what stake 00:41:01.590 --> 00:41:03.969 it is what location it is what the stake looks 00:41:03.969 --> 00:41:06.090 like all that it's pretty hard to unravel that 00:41:06.090 --> 00:41:08.030 but you have to get all those parties together 00:41:08.030 --> 00:41:11.070 right and then the next person puts the next 00:41:11.070 --> 00:41:12.969 stake and the next person puts the next stake 00:41:12.969 --> 00:41:15.210 and and i think that's kind of what you're talking 00:41:15.210 --> 00:41:17.900 about right Yeah. And you can only hope too, 00:41:18.039 --> 00:41:21.079 right? Maybe, maybe, maybe it does happen to 00:41:21.079 --> 00:41:25.440 where someone comes in and they try to change 00:41:25.440 --> 00:41:28.039 everything. And we want to have little house 00:41:28.039 --> 00:41:29.940 on the Prairie, another reference to the house 00:41:29.940 --> 00:41:32.300 on the Prairie. And we just want everything to 00:41:32.300 --> 00:41:34.400 be small and we don't want growth and we do everything 00:41:34.400 --> 00:41:38.579 we can to, to chop growth off. Well, you know, 00:41:38.579 --> 00:41:40.760 that's why we have elections. Right. Right. People 00:41:40.760 --> 00:41:42.840 get to choose. And, you know, once you're no 00:41:42.840 --> 00:41:45.639 longer part of that leadership, you know, you're 00:41:45.639 --> 00:41:48.699 just back to casting your vote like everybody 00:41:48.699 --> 00:41:51.219 else. And you got to kind of let that go. And 00:41:51.219 --> 00:41:54.480 I will say just in the energy production piece 00:41:54.480 --> 00:41:56.639 of it, when you're talking about elections, I 00:41:56.639 --> 00:42:00.300 think one of the major benefits for Centralia 00:42:00.300 --> 00:42:05.300 was when the new president came in and declared 00:42:05.300 --> 00:42:10.400 that energy. production as a national emergency 00:42:10.400 --> 00:42:13.360 that we need to produce more energy and that 00:42:13.360 --> 00:42:17.139 we need to do things that are going to ramp things 00:42:17.139 --> 00:42:20.780 up. And so I think just across the U S people 00:42:20.780 --> 00:42:23.820 want to see more energy production and people 00:42:23.820 --> 00:42:27.659 want to invest into that. And so that's helping 00:42:27.659 --> 00:42:31.920 us hopefully to solve those issues, to bring 00:42:31.920 --> 00:42:36.889 in some type of off taking company and working 00:42:36.889 --> 00:42:40.590 with TransAlta, which is a Canadian country, 00:42:40.809 --> 00:42:43.769 which is tough with our relationship right now. 00:42:43.829 --> 00:42:46.590 And hopefully that works itself out because we 00:42:46.590 --> 00:42:48.730 want to make sure that we're doing everything 00:42:48.730 --> 00:42:52.460 we can to help TransAlta succeed. in this area 00:42:52.460 --> 00:42:53.900 as well. And I know that we're going to have 00:42:53.900 --> 00:42:55.780 to have help from our federal partners along 00:42:55.780 --> 00:42:57.760 the way. Well, we all know Canada is a country, 00:42:57.840 --> 00:43:00.059 but you meant a Canadian company, right? Canadian 00:43:00.059 --> 00:43:04.500 company. Yes. Yes. Well, let's, let's, you know, 00:43:04.539 --> 00:43:07.139 we've talked a lot about TransAlta and I don't 00:43:07.139 --> 00:43:09.519 want to, you know, extend the podcast too far, 00:43:09.599 --> 00:43:11.739 but I do want to touch on another subject that 00:43:11.739 --> 00:43:13.239 you kind of hit on it, just energy production 00:43:13.239 --> 00:43:15.460 in general and, and kind of Lewis County's role 00:43:15.460 --> 00:43:19.710 in that. You guys have quietly. like almost stealthily 00:43:19.710 --> 00:43:25.329 become a player in the energy production marketplace. 00:43:25.650 --> 00:43:27.730 I mean, you always had TransAlta, right? But, 00:43:27.809 --> 00:43:30.369 you know, when the announcement came out that 00:43:30.369 --> 00:43:32.510 that thing was going to close, you know, you 00:43:32.510 --> 00:43:34.570 already talked about the economic impacts and 00:43:34.570 --> 00:43:39.210 the devastation. But, you know, since then, it's 00:43:39.210 --> 00:43:41.869 still online. It's going to produce until December 00:43:41.869 --> 00:43:46.420 31st of this year. They've built the wind turbine 00:43:46.420 --> 00:43:48.500 site that's up there, the wind farm site, which 00:43:48.500 --> 00:43:51.119 is actually fairly good sized. I don't know how 00:43:51.119 --> 00:43:54.619 many kilowatts it produces or megawatts it produces. 00:43:54.760 --> 00:43:58.199 I'm sure it's megawatts. And they spend pretty 00:43:58.199 --> 00:44:00.820 much around the clock. Yeah. Well, it's a windy 00:44:00.820 --> 00:44:03.440 side up there. Right. For sure. You mentioned 00:44:03.440 --> 00:44:07.000 there's the hydroelectric facility on the Skookumchoke 00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:10.320 Dam. You also got some funding recently to develop 00:44:10.320 --> 00:44:14.260 a green hydrogen. facility at the Port of Chehalis 00:44:14.260 --> 00:44:19.239 to, I think, change all the transit buses in 00:44:19.239 --> 00:44:22.500 Lewis County from diesel fuel to hydrogen fuel. 00:44:23.179 --> 00:44:25.880 And I know there's been talk about some other 00:44:25.880 --> 00:44:27.719 things. What else is going on in Lewis County 00:44:27.719 --> 00:44:32.599 around energy right now? Just touch on the hydrogen 00:44:32.599 --> 00:44:36.119 piece of it real quick. A lot of credit has to 00:44:36.119 --> 00:44:40.239 be given to a gentleman named Joe Clark, who's... 00:44:40.800 --> 00:44:44.239 incredibly smart that has been able to work with 00:44:44.239 --> 00:44:47.760 different entities to, to make this actually 00:44:47.760 --> 00:44:50.239 happen. Is he the transit director down there? 00:44:50.280 --> 00:44:52.300 He's the transit director, but he's so much more 00:44:52.300 --> 00:44:53.980 than it. And you think of a transit director 00:44:53.980 --> 00:44:56.800 and you think very one dimensional, this guy, 00:44:56.980 --> 00:45:00.460 his brain. is going to go in a museum one day 00:45:00.460 --> 00:45:03.139 the way that he's able to think through things 00:45:03.139 --> 00:45:06.460 and make things happen he's actually moving out 00:45:06.460 --> 00:45:10.699 of the transit director role now and going into 00:45:10.699 --> 00:45:14.260 more of a hydrogen consultant type of position 00:45:14.260 --> 00:45:18.699 to work on this aspect with the the port of chehalis 00:45:18.699 --> 00:45:21.980 he also does a lot of things when it comes to 00:45:21.980 --> 00:45:26.090 just development and getting taking this golf 00:45:26.090 --> 00:45:28.150 course, the Milwaukee golf course and making 00:45:28.150 --> 00:45:31.250 it a world renowned golf course with this new 00:45:31.250 --> 00:45:33.730 housing. I mean, I've played there a few times. 00:45:34.809 --> 00:45:36.610 I mean, it's a pretty easy golf course right 00:45:36.610 --> 00:45:38.769 now, but it's going to be a tougher golf course 00:45:38.769 --> 00:45:40.510 down the road, and it's going to be a beautiful 00:45:40.510 --> 00:45:43.570 area. I'll tell you, every golf course is a tough 00:45:43.570 --> 00:45:47.050 golf course for me. I'd rather throw the ball. 00:45:48.030 --> 00:45:50.409 I used to actually play pretty decent. Then I 00:45:50.409 --> 00:45:52.769 had children. It's all gone downhill from there. 00:45:52.929 --> 00:45:55.449 But as far as energy production, I know that 00:45:55.449 --> 00:45:59.610 we've put a lot of infrastructure in for. For 00:45:59.610 --> 00:46:02.909 cars, for electric cars along the corridors. 00:46:03.230 --> 00:46:04.710 Yeah, you have actually. There's quite a bit 00:46:04.710 --> 00:46:08.610 more than there was before. But I would also 00:46:08.610 --> 00:46:12.650 say to that credit, that's largely given to TransAlta 00:46:12.650 --> 00:46:16.570 because they've funded a lot of these different 00:46:16.570 --> 00:46:19.170 projects and have put money into these different 00:46:19.170 --> 00:46:22.550 projects with the Cold Transition Board, where 00:46:22.550 --> 00:46:26.150 they're allocating $55 million towards different 00:46:26.150 --> 00:46:30.210 projects to green energy. Well, it's exciting 00:46:30.210 --> 00:46:33.269 stuff that's going on down there. Like I said, 00:46:33.289 --> 00:46:36.750 I was surprised to see kind of how quietly you 00:46:36.750 --> 00:46:38.150 guys have really gotten involved, especially 00:46:38.150 --> 00:46:40.329 when you think about Lewis County being. pretty 00:46:40.329 --> 00:46:43.630 conservative, you know, as far as the, if you 00:46:43.630 --> 00:46:45.769 want to get into the red and blue, it's definitely 00:46:45.769 --> 00:46:48.170 one of the redder counties in Washington state, 00:46:48.230 --> 00:46:50.389 especially, you know, that whole region in Southwest 00:46:50.389 --> 00:46:52.849 Washington. But you guys are, you guys are making 00:46:52.849 --> 00:46:54.449 a lot of progress and you're making investments 00:46:54.449 --> 00:46:56.969 in a lot of really innovative stuff down there, 00:46:57.050 --> 00:46:59.889 especially in the energy sector. I wouldn't be 00:46:59.889 --> 00:47:02.130 surprised to see more and more happening down 00:47:02.130 --> 00:47:04.389 there. And it sounds like you have a great partner. 00:47:04.829 --> 00:47:07.610 You've got some great ideas and you certainly 00:47:07.610 --> 00:47:11.610 have this really interesting unique site out 00:47:11.610 --> 00:47:14.230 there that I think a lot of people would be envious 00:47:14.230 --> 00:47:18.769 to have. And frankly, the GMA would prevent it 00:47:18.769 --> 00:47:21.250 from happening in most places at this point. 00:47:21.289 --> 00:47:24.769 Well, and to get an industrial site when you're 00:47:24.769 --> 00:47:28.010 only allocated two, like you can only have so 00:47:28.010 --> 00:47:31.789 many. Right. And then they gave us another industrial 00:47:31.789 --> 00:47:35.050 zoning area. Yeah, pretty significant. And can 00:47:35.050 --> 00:47:39.170 I just also say that the 20th? Our legislators 00:47:39.170 --> 00:47:44.489 are highly effective. They help us move the ball 00:47:44.489 --> 00:47:48.349 to where we can be successful in the area. Representative 00:47:48.349 --> 00:47:51.329 Abarno, Representative Orcutt, and John Braun, 00:47:51.590 --> 00:47:55.889 they... They are a powerhouse team that really 00:47:55.889 --> 00:47:58.469 gets things done and they do a great job building 00:47:58.469 --> 00:48:01.150 relationships across the aisle. Well, I hope 00:48:01.150 --> 00:48:03.030 they're listening to this podcast. Well, I'm 00:48:03.030 --> 00:48:06.289 hoping that they do, but I, but I, that is a 00:48:06.289 --> 00:48:09.630 huge component to our success. And even with 00:48:09.630 --> 00:48:11.869 them working with TransAlta, I mean, it was Braun 00:48:11.869 --> 00:48:15.570 who helped TransAlta. to get the Senator Braun, 00:48:15.650 --> 00:48:18.869 Senator Braun. Yeah. Yeah. Senator Braun. Well, 00:48:19.010 --> 00:48:21.809 there's a lot of, uh, surprisingly enough, there's 00:48:21.809 --> 00:48:23.510 a lot of brands out there that start with the 00:48:23.510 --> 00:48:25.949 word Braun. Um, so I just want to make Northwest. 00:48:26.130 --> 00:48:28.690 Yeah. Well, that'd be of course a local company 00:48:28.690 --> 00:48:30.909 that most people don't know about, but, um, there's 00:48:30.909 --> 00:48:32.530 other, there's others as well. So I just wanted 00:48:32.530 --> 00:48:34.070 people to make sure that they understood you 00:48:34.070 --> 00:48:36.949 were talking about Senator Braun. Yeah. Um, well, 00:48:37.030 --> 00:48:39.519 it's been great having you. Commissioner Swope, 00:48:39.539 --> 00:48:41.360 I almost called you seen, but I'm not going to 00:48:41.360 --> 00:48:44.519 do that. But I just want you to know you've been 00:48:44.519 --> 00:48:48.639 seen here today, Commissioner Swope. The warm 00:48:48.639 --> 00:48:50.500 fuzzies. I've been working on that for like 20 00:48:50.500 --> 00:48:51.800 minutes. I really appreciate it. How was I going 00:48:51.800 --> 00:48:54.809 to pull that off? You mentioned that there's 00:48:54.809 --> 00:48:57.489 the fireworks at the Chehalis Fairgrounds or 00:48:57.489 --> 00:48:59.550 at the Lewis County Fairgrounds. Is it still 00:48:59.550 --> 00:49:01.070 called the Southwest Washington Fair? Southwest 00:49:01.070 --> 00:49:03.349 Washington Fair. And we're mandated to have, 00:49:03.610 --> 00:49:07.949 in RCW, have a fair every year. The state needs 00:49:07.949 --> 00:49:10.750 to do a better job in giving us money. Just kidding. 00:49:10.929 --> 00:49:13.769 Just kidding. Well, everybody needs support for 00:49:13.769 --> 00:49:15.530 their fairs, that's for sure. And that's always 00:49:15.530 --> 00:49:19.690 an interesting, contentious issue. Hey, our fair 00:49:19.690 --> 00:49:24.139 is by far. the best fair in the state of Washington. 00:49:24.360 --> 00:49:26.780 Oh boy. You've just thrown down the gauntlet 00:49:26.780 --> 00:49:30.380 on that one. Yes. That's what, Paul, that's what 00:49:30.380 --> 00:49:32.500 we should do. Let's do an online poll. What do 00:49:32.500 --> 00:49:34.599 you think? We should do an online poll, but you 00:49:34.599 --> 00:49:37.940 should also rent a bus and bus us to all the 00:49:37.940 --> 00:49:42.159 different fairs. That would take all summer. 00:49:42.880 --> 00:49:45.039 i'm up i think it would start i think it starts 00:49:45.039 --> 00:49:47.780 about now actually too yeah i think maybe kits 00:49:47.780 --> 00:49:50.659 apps is starting to go pretty soon and uh when 00:49:50.659 --> 00:49:53.420 does thurston county's it's in july as they have 00:49:53.420 --> 00:49:59.510 one They do. Oh. Ouch. Wow. You hear that, Wayne? 00:49:59.710 --> 00:50:01.469 You hear that, Wayne? Yeah, Commissioner Fournier. 00:50:01.949 --> 00:50:05.369 He just got challenged. I think there's some 00:50:05.369 --> 00:50:08.250 sort of TikTok video that might have to happen 00:50:08.250 --> 00:50:10.469 between the Thurston County Fair and the Southwest 00:50:10.469 --> 00:50:15.250 Washington Fair, some sort of competition. Final 00:50:15.250 --> 00:50:19.400 word, I guess. I guess so. All right, Commissioner. 00:50:19.500 --> 00:50:21.699 Well, thanks for joining us. It's great having 00:50:21.699 --> 00:50:24.300 you on the podcast. Super interesting stuff going 00:50:24.300 --> 00:50:26.199 on in Lewis County, and I hope it continues for 00:50:26.199 --> 00:50:30.820 you. Thanks for tuning in to County Connection. 00:50:30.960 --> 00:50:33.039 Stay in the loop by subscribing to us through 00:50:33.039 --> 00:50:35.340 your preferred podcasting app and following us 00:50:35.340 --> 00:50:38.300 on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. And don't 00:50:38.300 --> 00:50:40.300 forget to join The Hub, your go -to source for 00:50:40.300 --> 00:50:42.059 the latest news and updates from the Washington 00:50:42.059 --> 00:50:44.719 State Association of Counties. Until next time, 00:50:44.780 --> 00:50:46.460 stay connected. and stay informed.