Policy Makers Council Summer Fly-in
Ben Kostick is Commissioner for Lewis County Public Utility District in the state of Washington. Desmarie Waterhouse is Vice President for Government Relations and Counsel at the American Public Power Association.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: Ben, tell us what this event is that APPA is holding. What's your role at this event, and at APPA, as a member?
Ben Kostick, Commissioner, Lewis County PUD: We are here for the APPA Policy Makers Council Summer fly-in. The Policy Makers Council is made up of forty-five members. Policy makers are elected or appointed officials from across the country, and we are here this summer to advocate for issues that are important to public power.
Desmarie Waterhouse, VP, APPA: The Policy Makers Council is a huge part of our grassroots-advocacy efforts. The council has existed for quite a long time, and we have the members come to Washington, D.C. every July. They also come to town every February or early March for our legislative rally, which is our large fly-in.
The PMC is a way for us to get across public power's key messages to the Hill and sometimes to federal agencies. The fly-in is very important to the association and something that we spend quite a bit of time on.
PUF: Ben, tell us about your role at the Lewis County Public Utility District.