Not the best source for this story but from yesterday's NY POST

NY Post.


A LONG, DARK SUMMER
Friday, April 6,2001





If State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Golia's ban on two small generators in
Long Island City sticks, New York City's power supply for this summer will
be in serious jeopardy.
And that is just not acceptable.
Think California.

Golia ruled Wednesday that state officials, who hope to have the generators
up and running in time for the June crunch, must halt work at the site.
He said the state violated New York law by not conducting adequate
environmental studies.

It's a legal matter, of course, and as such is subject to competing views
and representations. The New York Power Authority, which is building the
plant on the state's behalf, says its environmental reviews not only met,
but exceeded, all legal requirements.

In any event, this much is clear: Either the judge willfully bent the law -
not uncommon among New York jurists - or the law, as has been said, is a
ass.

We bet it's the former.

After all, it's not as if the Long Island City site will be a monstrous
facility with far-reaching environmental fallout. Standard power plants can
produce thousands of megawatts of juice; each of the Queens units puts out
about 40 megawatts.
Moreover, they're the cleanest-running generators ever invented. And NYPA
plans to offset what little pollution is produced with reductions elsewhere.


Also, consider this: The two small units are being built on a site long
since zoned for industrial purposes.

All of this, of course, might be less relevant, in the face of community
opposition, if the generators were not so desperately needed. But the New
York Independent System Operator, which oversees the state's electricity
market, projects a 400-megawatt gap this summer.

The two 40-megawatt units are part of a group of 10 that NYPA is racing to
finish before summer. The 10 would eliminate the shortfall, but the loss of
any one could spark blackout or brownout alerts.

In any sane city, such circumstances might prompt a suit to force the state
to ensure the plants are built.
Not in New York.

Yes, 80 percent of city voters say they fear a California-like energy
crisis, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday.
Indeed, New Yorkers familiar with the plan for the 10 units support them by
50 to 31 percent.

But when it comes to placing a unit near one's residence, New Yorkers
suddenly oppose the idea, 54-34.
The Not In My Back Yard syndrome trumps everything in New York.

New York's leaders - and judges and lawmakers - must focus on the 80
percent. The public must have the power to protect itself from blackouts.

A negotiated settlement of the suit at hand is possible. Nevertheless, state
officials need to proceed forthwith with an appeal of Judge Golia's
misguided decision.

And if that doesn't work, it's incumbent on Albany to provide the necessary
legislative relief.
Before the lights go out.

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2001

Answers

And a repeat from the last series of rantings on the Calif. problem, I don't want this missed. The Census now estimates that we are looking at 65 million more people in this country in ten years from internal growth alone. MANAGING THAT GROWTH sensibly for traffic, population density, power, water and air is part of Gov't's job. California proves that the "grasshopper" vs. the ants method is not OPTIMAL (mild understatement).

Texas is more than happy to help out California in their need for more power. Simply tell us how to ship the KWs to the West Coast and I'm sure the Utilities here would be happy to send the PRODUCTS OF OUR EXCESS CAPACITY there. Would you like that UPS or FedEX?

For you see, there is no Grid Connection that enables that IS THERE? But there is a way for TEXAS to help them out. Simply send us your 1,000 largest PROFITABLE Industrial Users who can not do business on a scheduled basis any longer and TEXAS WILL FIND SOME ROOM AND CAPACITY FOR THEM.

and I am certain, TEXAS will be happy to make that offer to the Companies facing interruptions in NY, Long Island, Conn., Pa. and Mass where the NIMBY mentality prevented investment.

IN SHORT.........WE INVESTED IN THE FUTURE WHILE OTHERS GAMBLED AND LOST.

And when we were in a Depression here because of $10 bbl oil and excess speculation on Oil and RE in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Utilities here BORROWED on their EXCELLENT CREDIT and built what they projected would be capacity for the Population growth.

In addition, we encouraged Private Producers like PANDA ENERGY to invest $500Mill to 2 Billion on more plants via private funding of Panda.

People should remember that LUBBOCK bragged in front of the Y2k hearings in summer,1998 that their new Municipal Power Plant would bridge the annual Summer Short fall and give them extra capacity to spare.

LUBBOCK was not alone. Even the Texas regulators were encouraging investement in capacity and in the late 1990s were suggesting that there could be shortfalls by 2003-5 or so. Now that has been pushed even further back in this decade unless the growth rate starts to increase faster than the current conservative projections.

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2001

Might I take this opportunity to apologize to Mr. Poole and the Fine Readers of Poole's Roost II for setting him off this time?

I promise never to do that again.

Grow up, Charlie. You're the only one who cares about this Texas Vs. The World nonsense.

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2001

Grow up yourself MISS. You were the one who was advocating people rush to the aid of the people of Calif. AT OUR EXPENSE. My answer is simple: SCREW THEM. LET THEM PAY FOR IT.

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2001

No need to get so excited, Charlie. Patricia was only advocating that, because Bush was not doing it and Bush is automatically wrong no matter what he does. I seriously doubt Pat had given the matter any further thought, and if she had she didn't mention any.

Try to bear in mind that in Pat's world, the issue is Bush and his evil puppet masters, and is related to things like power, regulation, subsidies, etc. only as an excuse for another rant. If instead, Bush had acted to bail California out, THEN Patricia would "see" what an awful idea it is (again without further analysis of the actual issue, of course).

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2001

All very boring. A MAJOR World Crisis has been avoided thanks to the hard work of those appointed by the target of loud mouths who are beginning to run out of things to criticize. I expect the chanting about GWB to continue for 8 years and all the time, he will be doing the job (which I seem to remember was the 'Great Defense' for the White Haired Wonder who had the lease before GWB). PBS in their 4 hour end of the Clintstone specials, accurately depicted the "Method". Deny, eventually admit, confess and all the while add, "I have to do my job which is doing the American People......" (or something like that with heavy emphasis on the "doing the American People" thing).

MOST "politicians" are rather SAD. They inspire little to emulate and it is best that school books discuss figures like Washington, Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt (God Forbid, his cousin).

People need to remember that I NEVER wanted The Clintstone impeached not anything to happen to him. The thought of the substitute from the sideline (left side of the field) was too dreadful to think about. And I often wonder whether or not, Billy Jeff and Mrs. Harriman with the Committee of 20 selected "it" over Jay Rockefeller in 1992 with exactly that in mind. I wonder when Jay R. will resurface and when one of the Kennedys will start blowing up the Trial Balloons for 2004.

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2001

I expect the chanting about GWB to continue for 8 years

*grin* I wouldn't count on it. The pendulum has about reached it peak to the right and hopefully "California" politic's will not swing it back as far to the left as it was, and will level out more to the center this time.

There would never have been this extreme swing to the right if we had not allowed the extremes to the left that we did.

Before this election I didn't even know who was the right or left and never had figured out conservatives from liberals. I just voted my choices.

If we are going to have to put up with Bush baby, the least he could do is actually work towards family values and stop some of this (in my opinion) "soft porn" that is in our childrens faces all the time, even in commercials for children's programming. I am rather sick of watching 8 year old's doing pelvic thrusts in the process of to selling toys and clothes to kids.

-- Anonymous, April 07, 2001

Is it just me, or has there been a damn lot of non-ground troop military accidents since the Idiot wun?

Jayr already hard at work Reuben.

-- Anonymous, April 08, 2001

Think the California Energy mess just a California issue? think again.

Enron In India: the Dabhol Disaster

{snip}

To add insult to injury, the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) wants to pass the skyrocketing cost of the Dabhol plant on to consumers. In May 2000, the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission shot down a proposal for an 18.9% rate hike ordering the MSBE to limit rate increases to 6.5%.

The reason for the massive proposed rate hike? In 1999 MSEB bought a quarter of its power from the newly completed first phase of the Dabhol power project at Rupees 4.14 per kilowatt hour (roughly 10 US cents) almost double the average local cost of producing electricity and more than three times as much the cheapest producer. What's more, the price of Enron's energy is slated to rise to 33 cents per kilowatt hour by 2017!

The ruling of the Electricity Regulatory Commission but may prove to be a financial nightmare for the Maharashtra government which gave Enron the go-ahead to complete the $1.87 billion second phase of the Dhabol Power Project, the world's largest independent natural gas- fired power plant, by 2001.

Meanwhile, below the power plant at a secluded beach known as Smuggler's Cove, Enron is laying plans for a future expansion of its gas network by preparing the groundwork for India's first natural gas terminal and a 200 mile natural gas pipeline along the western coast of Maharashtra. The company also has active projects in the Indian states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

{end}

But what exactly is really going on here? Simple---Old Oil is fighting for marketshare with New Oil. Here is the PR peice from Human Rights Watch a Rockefeller front which writes "bleeding heart" diatribes against these upstart Oilmen which threaten the OPEC monopoly.

HRW is also the outfit which floated the Genocide crapola regards Bosnia. Do we see a pattern here?

Here is a recent update of this India issue...Dab hol finally invokes Centre's counter-guarantee. One could insert California, PG&E, the Californian ratepayers and this story would fit like a glove. WHY? because this crap is a BUISNESS MODEL by crooks, that is why.

And you thought it was all cause some Liberals cared more about the snaildarters. Well it is part of all this., The Greenies are but pawns of Rock and company to stand in the way of the New Boys in the Oilpatch.

-- Anonymous, April 08, 2001