Legalectric

It’s official, well, semi-official, there’s still no word from the Board of Public Utilities itself!

Here’s PSEG’s objection and their missive asking that the time to respond to Commissioner Fiordaliso’s request for comment be cut short:

PSEG Request to Shorten Time to Contest Official Notice

Dig the last paragraph:

Accordingly, PSE&G respectfully requests that the Board shorten the time to comment from January 16 to January 12 and further requests that the Commission act on the evidence before it and approve the Petition on January 15 without further delay.

Oh, right, yes, ma’am, we’ll get right to it!  They must be dreaming…

And as if that weren’t funny enough, here’s the PSEG argument against oral argument:

PSEG Response to Motion for Oral Argument

… but here it is in B&W:

BPU delays decision on power line

By SETH AUGENSTEIN

saugenstein@njherald.com

The state’s Board of Public Utilities is delaying its decision on the proposed Susquehanna-Roseland power line while it factors in the withdrawal of a similar power line proposal in Virginia.

The board was slated to decide on the New Jersey half of the power line on Jan. 15. However, the board pushed back the decision date, after opponents filed last-minute paperwork about Virginia’s proposed PATH.

The new evidence cites predicted decreases for regional energy needs delaying another regional power transmission project. Specifically, the Susquehanna-Roseland opponents are now citing recent setbacks for similar “reliability projects,” due to reports that power demands are down, and the need for power transmission lines is declining, the opponents say.

In late December, the PATH Allegheny Virginia Transmission Corp. moved to withdraw its 276-mile, $1.8 billion high-voltage transmission line proposal which would run through West Virginia and Virginia. The company says it will resubmit the plans in the fall. The reported reasons are the decreased demand during the recession and energy conservation.

The developments in Virginia could now factor into the Garden State decision. BPU Commissioner Joseph Fiordaliso wrote a letter Wednesday to all the involved parties announcing that the recent PATH request would be factored into the evidence for the Susquehanna-Roseland line. Fiordaliso set a deadline of Jan. 15 for the lawyers in the case to contest the new evidence, or otherwise comment on how it should factor into the pending decision.

Catherine Tamasik, the attorney for a seven-town coalition opposing the lines, said it could be a positive development for her clients — but it was too early to tell what the new evidence inclusion could mean.

“The BPU is certainly aware of the changing energy environment, and they’re going to take a look at it,” she said Friday.

And just now, hot off the press… er… inbox, is notice that PEPCO has asked that the Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway, MAPP, be suspended:

PEPCO letter 1.8.09 to suspend MAPP, includes 1.8.09 letter from PJM’s Herling

They’re saying it’s because MAPP is reliant on PATH in the modeling, but they already withdrew the Indian River to Salem leg and delayed the rest due to LACK OF NEED, and now… well, we know it’s not needed.  So whatever, I just wish they’d be honest about it.

Again, remember that all three of these, PATH, MAPP, and Susquehanna-Roseland were promoted based on the 2007 RTEP, which was based on those inflated peak figures from 2006!

PJM’s 2007 RTEP

Here’s the sensitivity analysis from PATH that is applicable to other projects:

PATH – Cover letters & sensitivity analysis

Transmission falling like dominos in a hurricane… I love it when this happens!

Word just out that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will NOT be deciding Susquehanna-Roseland on January 15, or any time before that either.  Well… and that’s good because Pennsylvania put off the decision until February 12.

Be sure to check out the REPLY BRIEFS — HERE!

Yesterday, we got a missive from Commissioner Fiordaliso, the one who presided over the hearing, and he’s taking “Official Notice” of the Potomac Allegheny Transmission Highline – PATH withdrawal, and two documents, the original and the amended PATH-VA Motions to Withdraw.

Fiordaliso Letter – January 7, 2009

Here’s the sensitivity analysis that the PATH-VA withdrawal was based on:

PATH – Cover letters & sensitivity analysis

So the NJ BPU has put off the decision, like PA, and they’re noticing that PATH went down the drain because it wasn’t needed.  New Jersey’s governor will be inaugurated on January 19th… could the BPU deny it quick, like right away, before Chris Christie can do anything?  After the 19th, some of the Commissioners will be sent packing, so why not go out with flair… errr…  flare…

It’s clear this line is not needed, not needed anymore than the MAPP and PATH lines, which have been delayed, parts taken out, and withdrawn due to lack of need.  Here’s the PJM peak demand chart just released in the latest PJM Load Forecast:

PJM 2010 Load Forecast Report

Graphs from p. 24.  With decreases like that, do tell, where do they come up with those projections?

Here’s the chart, p. 72:

PJM Peak Demand 1998-2009-p72

Once more with feeling:  IT’S NOT NEEDED!

SUSQUEHANNA-ROSELAND IS NOT NEEDED!

WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ TRANSMISSION!

Susquehanna-Roseland Reply Briefs were due yesterday — I’m representing Stop the Lines.

So it’s nap time today…

Here they are!

STL – Reply Brief

STL – Certification & Exhibits

Municipal Intervenors Reply Brief

Environmental Intervenors Reply Brief

Environmental Intervenors – Certification

Environmental Intervenors – Exhibits

Montville Board of Education Reply Brief

New Jersey Rate Counsel Reply Brief

PSEG Reply Brief

Hmmmmmmmmm… I don’t see anything from Exelon…

Happy reading!  Dig some of the exhibits, like the Motion to Withdraw from PATH-VA, the PJM 2010 Load Forecast (which shows demand has been down down down since the peak of 2006), and the sensitivity analysis that shot down PATH in Virginia!

Today Krie died, utterly unexpectedly.  She was the happiest most irrepressible dog I’ve ever known.  For the last couple of months, she’s been slowing down, tiring more easily, but nothing unusual for a 12 y.o. pup. A week ago, though, she had a UTI, and we started treatment for that, but she couldn’t keep meds down, and then we got some other drugs to calm her stomach, but her urine was looking really bad, and she wasn’t eating or drinking. Had her blood chemistry checked and her liver was shot. Then yesterday she pretty much stopped eating, and wasn’t drinking much either. Yesterday, she gave me a look, THAT look. She wasn’t whining or anything, but she was done. She’d had enough. The vet was closed… This morning, she couldn’t/wouldn’t get up, we got her up with a towel supporting her and then she hobbled outside on her own, and her pee looked just awful. She peed and came back in on her own, but collapsed in the hallway and wouldn’t go any further. We stuffed her with her drugs and she drank half a little bowl of water. Wouldn’t touch special chicken with broth. Then an hour later, while we were waiting for the vet to call, she got up and hobbled over to the door and lay down. I made a better towel sling, because there’s a lot of stairs down to the car, and we got her there, Alan pretty much carried her, she couldn’t do more than paddle a little bit and we had to pick her up to lay her in the van, she couldn’t help at all. She just laid there, head down, eyes ad ears responding, but that’s it. On the way to the vet, about 40 miles away, I said to Alan, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she started having seizures,” and about 30 seconds later passing by Wanamingo, she started. We were still 10 minutes from the vet and she had petit mal siezures all the way, and we carried her in, and as they were trying to find a vein, which proved very difficult, she started grand mal siezures. And thankfully we were there, and she wasn’t in too much discomfort for too long.

Krie was a dog who had a rough beginning, stuck for seven years in a pen, popping out pups as often as she could. But the last five, almost, years of her life she made up for it, living like the bitch queen that she was. She was the happiest dog, always smiling, except when she was chasing or holding down a poodle, enjoyed life from nose to tail, loved to just sit on the couch butt to butt with me when I worked, and was a good sister to Kenya, helping her get over some of her fears. She loved dock diving, swimming, and chasing anything, stick were good, small animals even better. She loved her ‘lambhearts” and grew to like veggies too, and begged quietly at the kitchen door in the most endearing way. She had the best smile, tounge hanging out, ears pointed down, and eyes sparkling. We’re missing you already, Krie!