Sunday, January 06, 2008

Please, Somebody Else, Somewhere Else, Do Something Else

The opponents of offshore wind power in Delaware are scrambling to make it look like they're actually in favor of renewable energy. The News Journal reports that they've hit on a diversionary tactic to make it look like they might actually consider doing something:
On Friday, [Sen. Harris] McDowell announced that three senators had asked him to schedule hearings to look at all of the state's options for "affordable, environmentally friendly energy," including on-shore wind. Those senators were [Thurman] Adams, Majority Leader Anthony DeLuca, D-Newark East, and Majority Whip Patricia Blevins, D-Elsmere.
So what do you do if you're a legislator who fervently opposes the Bluewater Wind agreement, but still wants to look like a proponent of renewable energy? You hold hearings about somebody else, somewhere else, doing something else, some other time.
To be fair, most members of the General Assembly, including Senators DeLuca and Blevins, probably haven't had a chance to make up their minds. Rep. Dick Cathcart sounds like he hasn't:
House Majority Leader Richard C. Cathcart, R-Middletown, said the majority of the discussion at the leadership meeting was what the wind farm would cost, and that remains uppermost in legislators' minds today. The PSC staff report came out too soon before the vote, he said.
Cathcart said legislators are more cautious given their experience with deregulation and the big rate increase that followed. They don't want to get bitten twice, he said.
"A lot of us are gun-shy," Cathcart said. "I'm a big believer in wind as an alternative source of energy. It's something we should pursue aggressively. I think it's something that we should be proud of being the first state to do it. I think that we need to make sure that we've explored every option we have in order to reduce the ultimate cost to the consumer while we're getting there."
Here's a thought: Instead of holding hearings about doing anything but what the Public Service Commission (PSC) staff report recommended, how about holding a hearing reviewing the findings of the PSC staff, and then acting on those findings?

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just made these comments over on Delaware Liberal. I think they apply here, too.
.........


Cynical observations:

Pepco has promised campaign money to legislators to influence their positions.

Pepco is determined that its subsidiary Connectiv Power will build a new power plant in Delaware for its profit regardless of the desire for cleaner local energy sources.

The DIPs in Dover are more concerned with re-election funds than the expressed concerns and desires of their constituents.

Further note: Bluewater does not cost the Treasury of the State of Delaware anything. Bluewater carries the whole financing and operating burden itself. In the contrary, Bluewater will be paying corporate taxes, its employees in the state will be paying income taxes, the employees will be spending some of that taxed income here in the state.

2:21 PM, January 07, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The only real windpower is coming from Levin's arse.
Now that's a foul wind for sure.
The GOP party bosses think they can get him moving so they can make some real money are dreaming.
Levin's a loser.
I favor Mike Protack's position on wind power.

2:44 PM, January 07, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm not sure what "Levin" you're talking about, jennifer, but the Alan Levin, that I interviewed on the air in September, was FOR the wind farm:

http://www.wgmd.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/nuclearpower.mp3

Has he made a statement to the contrary?

3:15 PM, January 08, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maria -- Jennifer is not a real person. She is a creation of Protack's internet troll, probably posting from the Kinko's in Brandywine Hundred.

8:01 AM, January 11, 2008  

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