Peninsula Light Co

Peninsula Light Co. is a member owned electric cooperative located in Gig Harbor, WA. Since 1925, the utility has been serving the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsulas, and Fox Island in Western Pierce County. 
The purpose of our Facebook page is to provide helpful information regarding PenLight services and community events. Outages affecting 100 or more will be posted and updated as needed.

PenLight History

It was a land of berry bushes, tall timber, chicken ranches and fishing boats. Accessible only by water and populated only by a hardy sort, the Peninsula area during the early 1900s… As a frontier made the slow transition to civilization, the progressive among this land realized they could not afford to be left out of industry’s evolution toward electrical power. . . . Soon it became obvious that no outside agency was going to provide an electrical utility in the Peninsula area… A handful of local residents realized that if they were to ever see lights in their chicken sheds and their homes, they would have to make it happen themselves. . . . “You couldn’t get any money from Wall Street. They thought it was all Indians out here,” said Oak Lodholm, General Manager of Peninsula Light from the 1930s to 1973. Read more by downloading Pioneering a Power System, written in September 1988.

ABOUT THE BOARD

PenLight is locally governed by a Board of nine directors whose duty it is to set policy and strategic direction. The Board has 12 scheduled monthly meetings, and board members are elected from the cooperative membership at large to serve three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three positions are up for election each year. The Board also holds an Annual Membership Meeting on the first Monday in May, which is open to attendance by all co-op members.

After being elected, board members have two years in which to obtain a “Credentialed Cooperative Director” certification. This training program includes five classes that are taken through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

Some of the qualifiers Directors must possess are:

• Be a member in good standing residing within our service territory.
• Be a proven leader in the community with broad interests.
• Be willing to study data and other information to stay well informed.
• Be willing and able to attend local, regional and national utility-related meetings.
• Represent the total membership on an impartial basis.
• Adhere to PenLight’s Articles of Incorporation and its Bylaws.

The Board also holds an annual two-day strategic planning retreat.

Seven Cooperative Principles

More than 29,000 co-ops operate in the U.S., with about 350 million members. More than 900 electric co-ops maintain nearly half of the electric distribution lines in the U.S. These lines cover three-quarters of the U.S. land mass and provide electricity to more than 40 million Americans.    Like all co-ops, Peninsula Light Company operates under these seven cooperative principles:

1. Voluntary and open membership. Co-ops are open to all who are able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership.
2. Democratic member control. Co-ops are controlled by their members, who set the policies and make decisions. Elected representatives are accountable to the members, who have equal voting rights: one member, one vote.
3. Member economic participation. Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. They allocate surpluses to develop the co-op, and benefit in proportion to their transactions with the co-op.
4. Autonomy and independence. Cooperatives are self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members.
5. Education, training and information. Co-ops provide education and training for members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute to the development of their co-ops. They inform the public, particularly young people and opinion leaders, about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
6. Cooperation among cooperatives. Cooperatives serve their members by working together locally, nationally, regionally and internationally.