I'm not sure what's gotten into the tea across the pond, but The Guardian has named Kansas Republican Governor Sam Brownback a "Climate Change Hero."
Sam Brownback, Republican Kanas Governor, and lawmakers in a dozen other US states who fought off cynical attacks to repeal state Renewable Portfolio Standards, which have catalysed thousands of wind and solar projects across the country and generated hundreds of thousands of jobs.
But, maybe it's some other Sam Brownback, the one who's the Governor of "Kanas?" The Sam Brownback who's the Governor of Kansas is no hero, for the climate or the people of Kansas. Sam Brownback is the "hero" of the corporations who fund his political campaigns, and just because it now happens to be wind energy corporations does not a "hero" make.
hero |ˈhi(ə)rō|
noun (pl. heroes)
1 a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities: a war hero.
The recent disclosure of the manipulation of scientific evidence by climate researchers is exactly the kind of important information that needs to be brought to light. The emails and documents recently disclosed paint an alarming picture of the state of climate research. In the emails that have been disclosed we’ve seen evidence of manipulation, efforts to avoid freedom of act information requests, abuse of the peer review process and a research process that that is driven more by a political agenda than a quest for truth. [Brownback, DeMint, Ensign, Isakson, Vitter, and Wicker, 12/8/09]
Right, it's more about a political agenda than a search for truth. So, what's the truth? The truth is that it looks like the hugely profitable land based wind industry has convinced Sam that covering Kansas with wind turbines and transmission lines and selling the electricity produced to "states farther east" would cut his state in on the fortune to be made with "green" branding and "Saudi Arabia of Wind" claims.
For that, Sam has tossed his former campaign financiers in the oil & gas industry under the bus. Because he's a "hero." Right. I'll believe Sam's climate change epiphany after examining his campaign finance reports for 2014.
"Big wind" continues to lie to politicians like Sam, encouraging him to lay waste to his own state so that energy corporations may profit producing electricity there and selling it to other states. Isn't that what happened in West Virginia more than 100 years ago? Look at how fine that worked out for the people of West Virginia.
The "truth" will reveal itself in the voting booth later this year.
Now let's move on to the zeroes...
The benighted Kansas Corporation Commission has intervened in the Grain Belt Express "Clean" Line application for negotiated rate authority at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Remember, the KCC failed to hire any experts to vet GBE's application for a siting permit in Kansas, instead relying on the testimony of GBE, verified by a couple of in-house electrical engineers opining way outside their areas of expertise.
However, the KCC found funds to hire deep-pocket law firm Andrews Kurth to represent its interests in GBE's application at FERC.
And hilarity ensued...
For that, Sam has tossed his former campaign financiers in the oil & gas industry under the bus. Because he's a "hero." Right. I'll believe Sam's climate change epiphany after examining his campaign finance reports for 2014.
"Big wind" continues to lie to politicians like Sam, encouraging him to lay waste to his own state so that energy corporations may profit producing electricity there and selling it to other states. Isn't that what happened in West Virginia more than 100 years ago? Look at how fine that worked out for the people of West Virginia.
The "truth" will reveal itself in the voting booth later this year.
Now let's move on to the zeroes...
The benighted Kansas Corporation Commission has intervened in the Grain Belt Express "Clean" Line application for negotiated rate authority at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Remember, the KCC failed to hire any experts to vet GBE's application for a siting permit in Kansas, instead relying on the testimony of GBE, verified by a couple of in-house electrical engineers opining way outside their areas of expertise.
However, the KCC found funds to hire deep-pocket law firm Andrews Kurth to represent its interests in GBE's application at FERC.
And hilarity ensued...
Due to an exceptional amount of pressing business, the KCC inadvertently failed to notice the subject proceeding until after the date for timely intervention had passed.
...the KCC’s failure to file a timely intervention was based upon factors outside of its control.
"Pressing business?" What state public service commission isn't constantly embroiled in "pressing business?" An "inadvertent failure to notice the subject proceeding" isn't really "a factor outside [KCC's] control." But, whatever... it gets funnier....
[KCC] is the regulatory agency that has jurisdiction over the wholesale and retail rates that will be impacted by the proposed formula rate and incentive rate adders filed for approval in this docket.
Layperson Internet Energy Blog Education Moment for the KCC and Andrews Kurth:
There is no formula rate or incentives applied for in this docket! It's an application for negotiated rate authority filed by a merchant transmission project. That means that the developer of the project is responsible for all costs of building and operating its project and will recover them directly from customers through rates it is asking FERC for permission to negotiate, NOT FROM RATEPAYERS, in Kansas or elsewhere. And GBE is not eligible to apply for incentives because it is not part of any coordinated transmission expansion plan, nor planning to be.
What a stupid waste of time and billable hours.
There is no formula rate or incentives applied for in this docket! It's an application for negotiated rate authority filed by a merchant transmission project. That means that the developer of the project is responsible for all costs of building and operating its project and will recover them directly from customers through rates it is asking FERC for permission to negotiate, NOT FROM RATEPAYERS, in Kansas or elsewhere. And GBE is not eligible to apply for incentives because it is not part of any coordinated transmission expansion plan, nor planning to be.
What a stupid waste of time and billable hours.
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