Obama promoting transmission again…
August 12th, 2013
On a bit of a transmission meander lately…
Based on the Fahey/AP articles on transmission lately, I mean really, how often is there anything about transmission in the STrib, I’ve felt something approaching. Perhaps it was the MISO Board of Directors meeting next week in St. Paul (HEY, check this out, you can watch it online, WebEx Information WebEx Password: Sr789456, or even head over to the shindig in St. Paul Hotel!
Then, I was reading the transcript for the PEPCO 2Q Earnings Call (pretty stimulating stuff), where they were talking about the undergrounding in DC:
Seeking Alpha – PEPCO 2Q Earnings Transcript
And here’s a news report and video about it, dig the price, $1.90 – $3.25 a month — that’s reasonable in my cheapskate book:
PEPCO, DC Officials Discuss $1 Billion Underground Wires Plan
That’s exactly what we should be doing. Complaints about “reliability” are distribution line issues, and look at how those utilities out there that are deregulated have cut maintenance to ZERO, think Aug. 13, 2003 (NERC Blackout Report HERE). And as I finish that, I see yet another Fahey/AP article published today, this time about Obama stumping for transmission AGAIN:
As cost of weather related outages rises, White House says grid should be made tougher
So off to the White House, where the PR is about “Protecting the Electric Grid From Increasingly Severe Weather Due to Climate Change” and what’s the real theme? Hey, it’s all about economics!
Economic Benefits of Increasing Grid Resilience to Weather Outages
This builds on his Memorandum earlier this summer:
Which of course builds on his Executive Order promoting transmission and naming projects for “fast tracking,” two of which I was working on at the time, Susquehanna-Roseland and CapX 2020 Hampton-La Crosse. That was:
and the Interagency Rapid Response Team for Transmission
For a list and map of the transmission line pilot projects please visit:
www.doe-etrans.us
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!
Challenge of Xmsn Rate of Return
January 6th, 2013
Fun stuff happening at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Remember the outrageous rates that FERC approved for CapX 2020 and PSEG’s Susquehanna-Roseland, over 12% rate of return on equity in this day of 3.25% prime rate? Environment Northeast is taking this issue to FERC, and have filed a Complaint and are requesting that the rate on equity (ROE) allowed be lowered:
Read this Complaint! It’s very clear about why:
Complaint Ex. C-1, p. 2 of 42. Here’s Exhibit C-107, p. 2 of 2, Panel A, showing Moody’s Long-Term Public Utility Bond Yields — can you see why utilities are so fond of the FERC Return on Equity Orders? This is not rocket science:
An interesting exhibit, well, ALL of them are interesting, but check Exhibit C-110, statistics for their “Electric Proxy Group” which includes some of our nearest and dearest utilities (click on charts for larger view):
And this one, also from Exhibit C-110, addressing comparative risk metrics for their group of utilities with the “Electric Proxy Group” which, again, includes some of our local utilities (note Xcel’s ratings of B++, And ALLETE/Minnesota Power’s A):
And 10 year US Treasury Yields:
FERC has issued Notice, which sets out how you can participate, including filing requirements and process:
Initial comments, protests and interventions are due January 16, 2013. Use FERC’s eFiling HERE!
If you are unable to file electronically (but it pays to figure it out and eliminate hard copies!), send to:
FERC 888 1st St. NE Washington, DC 20426
Enjoy!
Bill Clinton toadying for transmission
December 13th, 2012
In Chicago, Bill Clinton calls for national grid to boost renewable energy.
Yes, it’s all connected…There goes Clinton promoting transmission that enables coal.
We all know Bill Clinton has his warts:
But did you know that yesterday Clinton exhibited a major outbreak of warts as a transmission toady for Obama?
And we all know Obama loves transmission and declared seven transmission projects for “accelerated permitting and construction” including two of “my” projects, the PSEG Susquehanna-Roseland line and Xcel’s CapX 2020 Hampton-Rochester-LaCrosse line. I’ve posted a few times about this:
Obama “fast tracks” transmission?!?!?!
Obama’s Transmission BS in the News
What does Obama’s Xmsn push mean?
Here’s the plan in the Midwest — check out the blue solid lines and dashed lines:
… and it gets worse:
These JCSP lines are in the MTEP 11 Appendices, 765kV lines across the Midwest:
But do you know the level of toadyism and sell-out of so called “environmental” groups that made this transmission build-out possible? Transmission is just one of the legacies of the Izaak Walton League (and its program “Wind on the Wires”), Fresh Energy, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, and North American Water Office. There’s also coal gasification, burning turkey shit, and rolling for nuclear power in a deal to stick nuclear waste in Florence Township and taking the money for compensation of the Prairie Island Indian Community and shift that into the Renewable Energy Development Fund, Community Based Energy Development (C-BED) legislation that gave House Speaker Steve Sviggum a turbine and substation on his land in the first C-BED project applied for (and thankfully failed). Gee, thanks for all of this and more from Minnesota’s “environmental” organizations over the years… the 1994 Prairie Island deal, the 2002 Transmission deal, the 2003 Prairie Island deal… it makes me ill. Who do they think they are to make these deals, who are they representing? Not the people! Not the public interest!
Here’s some primary documentation:
$8.1 Million to Wind on Wires – grant from McKnight/Energy Foundation
$4.5 Million to Wind on Wires – grant from McKnight/Energy Foundation
2005 Session Laws Chapter 97 Transmission Omnibus Bill from Hell
Bill Grant – Sawmill Presentation – Promotion of Coal Gasification
Presentations at IEDC (Legalectric – posted February 16th, 2007)
IEDC gets carried away (Legalectric – posted February 15th, 2007)
You might think this is old news, but it’s not, it’s got an impact right now, an impact felt by the thousands of landowners whose land is being condemned right now for CapX 2020 transmission routed over their land. Why? Well, just after Mark Dayton won the election in 2010, the Waltons and Wind on the Wires did a spin off (note their numbers don’t match), separating the two, that’s just after the election, and just before Gov. Mark Dayton announced the Walton’s Bill Grant would be the new Deputy Commissioner of Dept. of Commerce in charge of Energy Facilities Permitting.
And “Wind on the Wires” IRS 990s:
Wind on the Wires 2009 IRS Form 990 (signed 11-12-10, a week after the election)
Wind on the Wires 2010 IRS Form 990 (signed 11-14-2011)
How could anyone be more unsuitable for a position heading the state Energy Facilities Permitting department at Commerce?
Here’s the article in its entirety for posterity — from Midwest Energy News, brought to us by (buy) RE-AMP!
In Chicago, Bill Clinton calls for national grid to boost renewable energy
“Look what happened to civilizations that had their day in the sun and then declined,” he said. “Progress is a long road, a lot of rolling big rocks up steep hills.” Read the rest of this entry »
Labor Day
September 3rd, 2012
Just the facts, ma’am…
This is a chart showing the unemployment rate from 1948 to 2012, marked every six years. You can find the numbers for yourself at the Bureau of Labor Statistics Data page, plug in whatever years you want, and there it is:
Take a look at trends. This is not rocket science…
I’ve been seeing so much, opinions expressed by people who should know better, a handful or more I hear from regularly (maybe not so much anymore!), making statements so far in contradiction to easily discoverable facts, it’s so disturbing, and this mantra of “say it enough and it becomes true” is driving me nuts…
I went on a little Labor Day rant earlier:
And let’s be clear — I have a personal and professional disgust about Obama’s support of coal gasification a la Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Project, and his fast-tracking SEVEN transmission projects, including “my” Susquehanna-Roseland and CapX? 2020 Hampton-Rochester-LaCrosse (What does Obama’s Xmsn push mean?), and then there’s fracking… I spend hours writing the White House (rattling the cage enough to get a call from Lauren Azar!), the campaign, and pieces here, and you all know about that disgust in detail, but the alternative? Romney is so repulsive, repugnant that I have no words, and I am going to have to hold my nose, and vote for Obama the corporate toady. But more than that, if there’s any chance Romney could get in, it’s time to act and do what I can to keep that from happening. It’s time. I now feel I have to kick into gear and do more, the prospect of Romney getting elected is more than I can bear, and it’s a lot more than Seamus:
It’s a lot more than giving my Social Security to Wall Street, or Romney and Ryan’s desire to eliminate Medicare (though having health care in a few years is something I am so looking forward too). This is a “Drill, Baby, Drill” guy, a proponent of nuclear power, his Energy Plan is embarassing, that he put something like that out in public, OH MY DOG, and yet, people aren’t rolling on the floor laughing? WAKE UP! Read the stupid thing:
How is it that someone this monumentally stupid, look up vacuous and there he is, he and his handlers, how can he be deemed Presidential material? Did you see his facial expressions during his big speech last week? OH MY DOG! Scary… utterly phony.
And they’re calling this election close. How is it that people I know and respect and care about can have their heads SO implanted? In large part, I think we’re seeing the result of our “educational” system, zero critical thinking abilities… So it’s time to do more than hitting reply and send the Obama team scathing emails about their horrible policy positions (don’t worry, I’ll be doing that too). But its time ramp up the challenge to the falsehoods that are being tossed about, over and over, in an effort to make it true. I just can’t stomach it anymore. I’ve seen one too many “Obama is responsible for this mess” rants. I’ve had enough.
Again, Dog grant me the serenity… and this situation, yes, we do indeed have a situation, this is something that raises the obligation humans have to change the things we can. Onward!
MAPP is dead, dead, dead
August 8th, 2012
Just in today from PEPCO:
All,
I am writing to provide an update on PHI’s proposed Mid Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP) project.
Today PJM issued the final results of its 2012 transmission analysis and due to factors such as lower load growth from the sluggish economy, the installation of new gas fired power plants, and the increase in demand response programs, no reliability violations were identified within the transmission planning window. As a result, the PJM Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee (TEAC) issued a recommendation that the MAPP project be canceled. On August 24, 2012, the PJM Board of Managers will meet to make a final decision on the TEAC’s recommendation.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your interest and participation in the MAPP project over the past few years.
Thank you,
Mark Okonowicz
MAPP – Environmental Coordinator
Pepco Holdings, Inc.
P – 302-283-6115
C – 302-463-5438
mark.okonowicz@pepcoholdings.com
This is after their bogus claims, in 2008, of skyrocketing peak demand (utterly unsupported by fact) from a June 25, 2008 MAPP Presentation found on the DNREC site — this “forecast” is so outrageous, and cancellation is SO HILARIOUS in light of Todd Goodman’s objections to my chalenging demand:
So let’s take a step back – what is MAPP?
No, this isn’t about the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool… it’s the Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP), and it is DEAD!
The Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway, a transmission line that was part of “Project Mountaineer,” a coal transmission web that was hatched at a 2005 FERC meeting. MAPP was the NE part of line 4, below (Susquehanna-Roseland is the eastern part of line 1):
Here’s the transcript of that meeting, too scary, but it’s important to read this:
They tried and tried and tried, against evidence, to ram all these projects through. The did manage to get the first one through, the TrAIL (Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line) project, but PATH (Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline) is dead, Susquehanna-Roseland is permitted but not yet built…
Slowly but surely, PJM is admitting that transmission is not “needed” by any measure. With MAPP, first they planned it as above, in the first map, and then they eliminated the part in Delaware from Indian River to Salem/Hope Creek nuclear plants:
Despite this, Delaware’s DNREC issued permits for part of this project in Sussex County, Delaware! Whatever for? Why would they do this? Aren’t they paying attention to things electrical? DNREC should know this is not needed
Here is today’s good news — PJM’s latest review, just released, showing NO THERMAL VIOLATIONS — DUH:
Here are two slides that say it all, the first focused on PATH but including MAPP, and the second, the “MAPP Project Analysis” results:
And the bottom line? Another DUH, GOODBYE PATH AND GOODBYE MAPP:
Once again, we’re proven right. How long have we been fighting all these transmission projects, how much time, effort and money showing it’s not needed, even when using INDUSTRY studies, documentation, forecasts. All their claims of need are fabricated, reverse-engineering to get the result they want, billions of dollars of PRIVATE INTEREST, not PUBLIC interest, projects, built on the backs of landowners, with a FERC guaranteed 12+% rate of return for the owners/builders/developers.
The down side is the ratepayers are probably going to be hit with all these development costs because so many jurisdictions allow recovery for “CWP,” construction work in progress. So we get screwed, but not as badly as if they had built the projects.
Like CapX 2020, this project was another of those personal projects. MAPP was originally heading up through Delaware to the Salem/Hope Creek nuclear plants, and the Delaware part would have gone near us in Port Penn, we’re right across the Delaware River from Salem/Hope Creek. They should know better than to try something like that!