There was also another dry, boring article by FNP business reporter Ed Waters, Jr., that was so insipid that I'm not even going to bother with the link. When is FNP's management going to get a clue that PATH is not strictly a "business" issue but a larger, community issue that will affect residents (as opposed to businesses)? By continually assigning all PATH stories to their business reporter, whose job is made easier by sucking up to corporations and reprinting press releases as "news", FNP continues to miss the REAL story here. Maybe some day they'll actually want to sell some newspapers before they go broke and a whole bunch of people are out of a job.
Gearing up for more fun in Frederick tomorrow, the Frederick News Post ran another editorial panning PATH this morning.
There was also another dry, boring article by FNP business reporter Ed Waters, Jr., that was so insipid that I'm not even going to bother with the link. When is FNP's management going to get a clue that PATH is not strictly a "business" issue but a larger, community issue that will affect residents (as opposed to businesses)? By continually assigning all PATH stories to their business reporter, whose job is made easier by sucking up to corporations and reprinting press releases as "news", FNP continues to miss the REAL story here. Maybe some day they'll actually want to sell some newspapers before they go broke and a whole bunch of people are out of a job.
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I recently came across this "letter" that was used as an advertisement for the TrAIL project. David Flitman seems to play very loose with actual FACTS, which begs the question, is this an intentional act of propaganda proliferation or is this guy just stupid?
Let's examine what he got wrong here: Myth: TrAIL is not about keeping the lights on in our community. This project is about exporting cheap power from the Midwest to the power-hungry East Coast. Fact: This project is not about exporting power to the East Coast – it’s about avoiding blackouts. If the Pennsylvania portion of TrAIL is not built, residents and businesses in Greene and Washington Counties could suffer blackouts, voltage disruptions and brownouts in just a few years. Large-scale commercial development in northern Washington County, along with increased individual power consumption in southwestern Pennsylvania, is straining the existing lines. If you visit our project website (aptrailinfo.com), you will see that power from 502 Junction Substation, near the Pennsylvania–West Virginia border, will flow north – not east – to serve the growing communities south of Pittsburgh. If the remainder of TrAIL is not constructed, customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region will be at risk of blackouts, voltage disruptions and brownouts as early as 2011. For these reasons, PJM has directed us to build TrAIL to prevent such catastrophes from happening. WRONG: "you will see that power from 502 Junction Substation, near the Pennsylvania–West Virginia border, will flow north – not east – to serve the growing communities south of Pittsburgh" Duh, dude, power doesn't "flow" in any one direction. The grid is like a giant energized loop, going in all directions at all times. Was this before Allegheny came up with their "bucket" analogy? I'm starting to wonder if you're just stupid... Myth: We have plenty of excess power plants in our region. If the East Coast needs more power, they should build new power plants in their own backyard. Fact: Contrary to popular belief, communities generally do not receive power exclusively from a neighboring power plant. Instead, available generation is interconnected to a larger power grid, and electricity may often travel long distances from where it is generated to where it is needed. At issue here is not available generation, but the capacity of existing transmission lines to transport it to customers. It was transmission line failure that caused the infamous blackout in 2003. Currently, several lines that cross our transmission zone are at risk of overloading and causing blackouts. The TrAIL project will help to prevent this from happening by relieving congestion on these overburdened lines. WRONG: "At issue here is not available generation, but the capacity of existing transmission lines to transport it to customers. It was transmission line failure that caused the infamous blackout in 2003. Currently, several lines that cross our transmission zone are at risk of overloading and causing blackouts." The 2003 blackout was caused by OPERATOR ERROR on the part of First Energy. You know, those guys who are going to swallow you all up soon and belch you back out in a few years when you cease to be useful to them? According to the linked article, the transmission line that started the domino effect here was only loaded to 44% capacity, but lack of right-of-way maintenance caused it to sag into a tree that shouldn't have been there. Lots more here to laugh at (including the fakey look of the whole "letter" pdf), but I smell StopPATH WV bake sale brownies nearing their peak of perfection. If you ever see ol' Davey around, ask him how his golf game is coming along. Since you're all going to be paying for at least the next 5 years to depreciate his participation in an industry brown-nosing conference's golf tournament, you certainly have an investment in his game. The Louis Berger Group has agreed to pay $69 million to settle allegations of cheating the U.S. Government by intentionally overcharging by at least $10 million on government contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In exchange, the government agrees not to pursue criminal charges against Louis Berger Group. Read the entire story here.
The Louis Berger Group is also a contractor for the PATH companies and was paid $1,253,323.95 in 2009 for their work on the PATH project. Because Louis Berger Group's services are considered a capital expense under PATH's Formula Rate cost-recovery system, these expenses earn that 14.3% return every year for the PATH companies until the asset has completely depreciated. The more Louis Berger Group charges, the more interest PATH pockets! All these expenses and their associated returns are being recovered from ratepayers in the PJM region every year. Who's watching the henhouse here, except for the PATH company foxes? Would Louis Berger Group be able to resist overbilling when faced with another source of public funding that is administered through a complicated financial/cost-recovery system that makes the average person's eyes glaze over and roll up into their head? I hope we'll soon find out! We've had a report by a landowner on the mountain that he confronted several people he caught creeping through the woods on his property late last week. They handed him a copy of this letter as an explanation for their trespassing.
Despite what this letter says, these PATH contractors need your permission to be on your property! If you have not given permission for PATH to conduct surveys on your property, these people are trespassing and should be dealt with accordingly. If they refuse to leave immediately, please contact the Sheriff to have them removed. Their letter does NOT give them permission to trespass on private property. If you have signed one of PATH's survey permission forms, there's not much you can do about it, aside from rescinding your permission. Information about how to rescind permission can be found in our Landowner Resources section. Strangers creeping around your property like they own the place without prior notification is exactly the reason we have been advising landowners against signing survey permission forms. By signing these permission forms, you are subjecting yourself to more of this rude, bullying behavior. Louis Berger Group employees working as contractors for PATH have also been reported as lying to landowners in order to coerce them to give permission for these surveys. Landowners have been tracked down at their jobs, harassed by trespassers who refused to leave, been told that they would have to pay for these surveys out of their own pockets if they refuse to give permission, and other self-serving lies. You are not required to give your permission for these surveys! Although the letter states that these surveys are "necessary to satisfy federal and state regulatory requirements", this is a flat-out lie. These surveys are being conducted by PATH in order to try to circumvent real federal surveys and present "surveys" that come to PATH-ordered conclusions. Remember, PATH always comes up with the desired answer before approaching the problem. These surveys are not in your best interests and have NOTHING to do with the Federal Environmental Impact Survey currently being conducted. Be smart and don't let PATH push you around... and tell your neighbors! One of the greatest things about living in Jefferson County is that we all watch out for each other. Discuss this with your neighbors and take appropriate action! Lots of folks have received letters or phone calls from Dominion Power or their consultants recently regarding a proposed rebuild of the Mt. Storm - Doubs 500kV line. In response to your questions, all we can say right now is that we're still investigating.
If you are looking for more information to form your own opinion about what's going on, here are a couple of things I've dug up for your perusal: Dominion's website with more information about the project. Contains maps, "fact" sheet, FAQ, project timeline and specs. We first saw this project mentioned as "Alternative 1" in Dominion's PATH alternative proposal presented to PJM in May of this year. Unfortunately, this rebuild was also included in Alternatives 2, 3 and 4, which also contain some portion of PATH being built, including PATH in its entirety. See this link for the latest PJM TEAC document. The first few pages discuss the project and show some shocking pictures of deterioration of the tower structures. Of course, power companies and propaganda go together like peanut butter and jelly, so keep that in mind. Read Page 15 carefully for a few clues before you become a cheerleader for this project, thinking it's going to solve all your problems with PATH: "Window of opportunity to get line outages after Trail is placed in service in the Spring of 2011 Transmission owners should use best efforts to complete the work by 2015 – If sufficient outages can not be obtained to complete the work by 2015, the full scope will be finished following PATH being placed in-service. – After completion of PATH, outages should be more available – Based on worst case estimate, the project could take as long as nine years; therefore it is imperative the parties start as soon as possible" See also Dominion's Q3 2010 Earnings Call, which contains this quote: "Also, yesterday, PJM announced its intention to recommend to the PJM Board the reconductoring of our Mt. Storm-to-Doubs line as part of the 2010 Regional Transmission Expansion Plan. We anticipate formal PJM approval in December, in line with our expectations since we first announced this project at our May financial conference." The Earnings Calls are famous sources for fat cat executives posturing for their investors, so take that with a grain of salt as well. If you're really curious, come to one of the "Open House" meetings to be held in Winchester and Lovettsville next week. Although these "Open Houses" are supposed to be for Virginia residents, with similar ones for West Virginia residents to be held early next year, we encourage you to attend and ask as many questions as your patience will allow. I almost feel sorry for the Dominion guys after PATH has made such a mess of their relationship with the public. Remember, these guys aren't responsible for PATH, although they are responsible for TrAIL, so give everything the "sniff test", but be polite. November 16, 5:00 - 7:30 PM - James Wood High School cafeteria, 161 Apple Pie Ridge Road, Winchester, VA 22603 November 17, 5:00 - 7:30 PM - Lovettsville Community Center, 57 East Broad Way, Lovettsville, VA 20180 See this article in the Hagerstown Herald-Mail. It is an AP story, so I can't fault the Herald-Mail for the content, but they ought to pay a little more attention to the filler they pick up and use. Maybe they're just a little worn out after the long hours required by the election. Newspeople are human too, after all.
This article is full of lies and half-truths. Let's start with the headline, "Planned merger would cut electric rates in W. Va". To read for yourself what a load of crap this statement is, see the actual proposed settlement that was filed with the WV PSC yesterday. The truth is that your "savings" will only be offset by future costs whereby they will merely mitigate future rate increases. The reduction of the ENEC rates by $7.5M over 5 years is chump change for the power companies. They are billing $36.9M in 2011 alone for the PATH revenue requirement, a portion of which is passed on to you in the ENEC rates in WV. After those five years are up... watch out, you're going to get severely jacked because they will cry that the haven't had an increase in 5 years. So, don't start polishing your piggy bank yet, take a hammer to it instead. That half a million they are "donating" to the Dollar Energy Fund is another very small pile of chump change for them. They don't care about the "poor people". Please! I got a cute little flier about the Dollar Energy Fund in my bill today. What they will do is match your contribution, dollar for dollar, if you donate to help pay the poor people's electric bills this winter. Gosh, I wonder what that has to do with their $500K "donation" under this settlement? Wanna bet their "donation" is the same as what they have already committed to match "subject to agreements" or something like that... there was a catch, but I've already tossed the thing and I'm not digging in the trash for it. The Allegheny Energy/First Energy merger will also give you: None of the direct merger costs can be recovered from ratepayers. Ha ha! I hope the WV PSC is intending to audit them. They cheat. No layoffs for Allegheny Power employees for two years, after which time they will "consider" you for a First Energy position. If I worked for them, I'd be looking for another job... soon. Their Fairmont Call Center will stay in operation for 5 years. Then all those folks will have to go get new jobs and Fairmont will have a vacant facility on it's hands. What great economic benefit to WV!! That promised "regional headquarters" is for Mon Power and is to be located in or in close proximity to service areas. Aren't other states like Ohio and Pennsylvania in "close proximity" to the Mon Power service area? There are some really vague promises of improved customer service/satisfaction and less outages and a puff of air promise to throw a bone toward energy efficiency and demand side management goals, but the percentages are so minuscule as to be laughable. So, fellow West Virginia Allegheny Power customers, how does it feel to have been sold down the river again by the state officials who are supposed to be looking out for your welfare? Who benefits here? The super-rich power company stockholders and officers. The worst part is they get all their money out of our pockets. The one bright spot is that the case is not over yet. Write, call and email the PSC and "your" representative Byron Harris at the PSC's Consumer Advocate Division and let them know your thoughts about their proposed "settlement", in which the citizens were prevented from participating. Contact the WV PSC. And come back and visit us again soon. Lots of interesting bits of news stacked up for publication as time permits. It's getting hot in here, folks! Sad news out of Tucker County today. A helicopter constructing the TrAIL 500kV line crashed, killing one worker and injuring three others. Read the story here. What a tragic waste of the life of someone who was only trying to make an honest living!
Allegheny's beady-eyed coal-fella is quoted as saying what an "important project" TrAIL is. Important to Allegheny's balance sheet, perhaps, but not worth someone's life. Can't he turn the BS off for a day out of respect? Allegheny Energy, have I told you how much your greedy initiatives suck lately? If you're one of the ones who attended the EIS meetings in July or sent in your comments, you should pat yourself on the back. The Public Scoping Comment Analysis Report has been completed. It looks like PATH has a lot of opposition from citizens, environmental groups, civic groups, conservation/preservation groups, county government, federal government, state government, recreational groups and town or city governments. All these comments are relevant and well thought out.
Be sure to check out the whining of PATH's attorney on comment #622. I do believe they're a bit scared of the huge amount of support for expanding the scope of the EIS to cover the entire PATH project. Lovely pity party talking about the "limited nature of federal control", when these very same companies play the FERC card repeatedly with the three states' public service commissions ('if you don't allow us to do "x", we're going to FERC for backstop siting authority"). Same crap they pull with their costs on the state level -- "those are beyond the state's control and are handled through FERC". The federal government is a tool they use over and over, either rejecting it or clasping it to bosom, to suit their purposes on any given day. Nothing like a little hypocrisy, is there? They also think that the PATH EIS should be modeled after the Jackson's Ferry/Wyoming transmission line that was put online in 2006. I think the NPS & NFS would do better modeling it after the EIS for the Susquehanna-Roseland line, which is still in process. The power companies in that case have made a real mess out of it, tried to segment approvals and construction, and then sued the NPS when it didn't go their way. NPS may have learned a thing or two about power company greed just lately. It looks like PATH also activated their astroturf front groups in all three states to send in some uninformed, ridiculous comments in support of PATH. Blah, blah, reliability, blah, blah, blackouts, blah, blah, economy. What does the NPS & NFS care about any of that? Hey, hey, let's trash our national resources so a brainless wench in Fairfax, VA can continue to play on her laptop! And let's not forget Corky Demarco, he needs plenty of electricity to iron those shirts that creep up and attempt to eat his empty head. Astroturf -- just another one of PATH's HUGE mistakes that are going to end up costing them dearly. The next step is public comment meetings on the range of alternatives to be considered, which will be held in first quarter 2011. Let's keep up the good work! It's time for more fun with another arrogant and wide of the mark power company power point presentation about how to overcome citizen opposition that gives us a peek into their twisted, greedy, Machiavellian minds. This time it's from Lisa Barton of American Electric Power. At least she's literate (except for her 300 pond elephant and capitalization issues -- doesn't anyone proofread their work product anymore?) which is more than I could say for Allegheny Energy's Aldie Warnock and Holly Kauffman. Don't worry, Aldie, the title I bestowed upon you of world's highest-paid functional illiterate is still safe!
Lisa presented Transmission Siting – How Should it work, and How Do We Succeed in Today’s World?? (wow! two question marks -- must be a real puzzler!) at an Edison Electric Institute meeting and must have thought she was a real Einstein because AEP had finally managed to get a transmission project online after SIXTEEN YEARS of opposition. Hey, Lisa, what's the sound of one hand clapping? Okay, shall we get started? Page 2, Agenda, let's hear all about AEP's take on transmission siting as a barrier... Now we're "a barrier"? I guess it's better than a NIMBY, NOPE or BANANA, but this money-grubbing corporation still fails to see what's really in their way -- PEOPLE! I guess it helps them to sleep at night if they can replace the wrecking of human lives with euphemisms like "barrier". Next up, developing and implementing a plan for siting, a relevant case study and results of an outreach strategy... that only took a short SIXTEEN YEAR course to sweet victory! Right... Next slide, aren't we special? We're number 1! All others are number 2 or lower! Well, except for that Domestic Generation thing, but who's counting? Lisa, who cares? (?) See, that' a real puzzler too! Slide four, AEP's vision of the next interstate! However, we've all seen this map before and when not looked at through myopic, rose-colored glasses with big dollar signs in the lenses, reality looks more like this. Moving right along into the real "meat", Barriers to Transmission Development - The Three Horsemen! Three? She may be able to construct a sentence, but her literary and math skills leave a bit to be desired. The phrase is Four Horsemen (of the Apocalypse). How apt! However, I'm sure you didn't mean it that way, did you? She probably thought she was just being incredibly clever. Sigh. Oh, look, reference to President Eisenhower's interstate highway system! Where have we heard that before? Oh, I remember, it was at the power company sponsored, ratepayer financed astroturf forum where they used President Eisenhower's granddaughter as an "expert" on the electric grid! "Siting: How do we site needed transmission on an expedited basis to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is developed to support inevitable changes to our supply portfolio?" Oh, I see, it's not about needed transmission, it's about supporting your supply portfolio! Well, that's enough reason for me to endanger my health and give up my home for an unneeded transmission line -- AEP needs to support their supply portfolio and make even more money! Gosh, I love you, AEP! You're always thinking of me first! Let's not forget the big problem of cost allocation! AEP doesn't want to have a 300 pond elephant (Lisa's got a mini-elephant) stinking up the place and impeding their cash flow. I know! Let's get the consumers to pay for our infrastructure! They won't mind! Well, sorry, Lisa, we do mind. We mind a great deal. You know that phrase, "you've gotta pay to play"? It applies to AEP, too. Slide 6, Siting, a delicate but important balance... What? A few slides ago we were nothing but a "barrier", now we're delicate but important? Sorry to disappoint, but we're not really that delicate -- it's going to take a lot more effort to unbalance us than you originally thought. Setting yourself up with FERC backstop siting authority and changing the paradigm that caused you sixteen years of misery with Jackson's Ferry/Wyoming was slick, but it still remains untested and has been weakened in the courts. Back to the drawing board! Let's move into the case study -- Jackson's Ferry/Wyoming. Even though you have "changed the siting paradigm" (who loves the word "paradigm"? Lisa loves that word "paradigm"! Hooray!) you still have to operate in the present "paradigm" system and it's not working for you. Time to choose a new favorite word! Nifty map -- coal fired power plants, transmission lines and what's that green stuff? *scream* It's people! The Soylent Green of transmission line siting! Now let's talk about Key Outreach Principles -- you know, those tactics that took sixteen years to work with Jackson's Ferry/Wyoming and that you are still trying to use with the PATH project 10 years later? “Do the research” – don’t assume to know the issues and/or the scope of the public’s questions and/or concerns. Research is an ongoing – not one time – exercise. You know, stop being so damned arrogant and quit wasting your money on blowhards like Charles Ryan Associates who merely tell you what they think you want to hear then laugh at you behind your back because they're soaking you (really the ratepayers). You'll never know our issues because you can't think of us as people, just "barriers". So, keep exercising -- that running around in circles thing you do so well. Develop a flexible plan – be strategic, proactive and consistent. Need to consider multiple issue areas. Yeah, and just keep trying to steer your Titanic around the constantly shifting opposition iceberg. You're just not built for it. “Keep it simple” – honesty, transparency and a respectful attitude are critical. Credibility takes years to build and only seconds to lose, and once it’s gone........ It's already gone, baby, gone! Sorry, but your dishonest, abstruse and disrespectful attitude has prevented you from gaining any traction from day one... and instead of trying to right your image, you only debase yourselves further with slimier, more dishonest tactics. Remember that people want information – if you’re not providing it, they will take it from where they can get it, including sources of propaganda. Unless it's YOUR propaganda -- people just laugh at that... until the bill comes! What people want is CREDIBLE information, such as that provided by other opposition members. See paragraph directly above. Keep feedback loops open and flowing – transmission siting is a long process and continually incorporating feedback into the outreach strategy is critical. Feedback loops? Is that when I drive by your office and stick my middle finger out the window? We are well aware that you don't give a rat's behind what we think or feel as long as you can take our land from us. Before the ink is dry on the contract, you're nothing but a dust cloud. See also reference to Titanic above. Let's talk concerns: Concerns – personal property impacts, viewsheds, perceived lack of local benefit, wildlife, health, tourism How about LACK OF NEED? It's always the last thing to cross your mind there, genius! Media – preference TV, then papers We know how to read! Nobody pays attention to the advertising during Dr. Phil! Supporters – men, seniors, higher and lower income brackets The only "supporters" PATH has are the ones in their gym lockers. Opponents – women, younger, college educated And everybody else, including politicians and the media. Population – 25% didn’t complete hs, 42% hs grad, 15% percent college grad Power company whose statistics only add up to 82% - 1. Where do you think you're building this thing? Some undeveloped third-world country? You just keep telling yourself that about us and pretending you're "smarter". Average Household income - $21,000 Time for new stats! You've expanded into the Washington D.C. metro area this time, Mr. Magoo! Perceptions – 2/3 viewed AEP favorably We all hate you. Try to think of it as a challenge. Now let's talk messages: Power line is needed urgently and will deliver substantial local and regional benefits (Infrastructure drives economy, both near and longer term) Hey there, little boy, you've yelled "wolf" so many times that nobody even hears you anymore. "Need" is a dinosaur left over from your last "urgent" project. AEP treats people, environment with respect – important message, but must be supported through consistent action. You mean like how Allegheny Energy treated (cheated) the landowners and destroyed the environment with the TrAIL project? That sure shows consistency -- you wrecked everything and everybody in your path like Godzilla on the way to Tokyo. AEP demonstrated commitment to working with the public, regulators to solve the problem – input is key to the final product and stakeholders must feel vested in the outcome. Oh, like hell you did! You stomped all over everything and everybody and what you couldn't buy you coerced. Have you ever considered that YOU are the problem that needs to be "solved"? How about Execution Highlights? Is that where you execute the people who become the Soylent Green on your maps? Established employee ambassadors, provided front line employees with information You mean like those shifty land agents who would lie and steal the last slice of bread in our pantry? They are the perfect ambassadors for you though - a little "truth in advertising" for who they represent. Coalition established, supporters – labor, business - were kept informed and were active "Coalition" -- a power company directed PR tool that creates fake "grassroots" groups using huge amounts of ratepayer funding. Astroturf is no longer a cute parlor trick -- we all know what you're doing and nobody believes you. And it's about to get a lot worse for you. Key audiences identified – elected officials, customers, shareholders, unions, media, public, supporters, employees, retirees, etc. Just because you identify an audience, it doesn't guarantee that they will show up at your performance! Tools – videos, presentations, fact sheets, brochures, direct mail, advertising, news releases, letters, project info line and web site And you! You're the biggest bunch of tools I've ever encountered. Tailored every message for every audience This is not possible. No wonder you're such a failure. Advertising – Consistent and frequent use of print/television partners included Wild Turkey Federation, Nature Conservancy, local industry, homeowners Oh, I see you've already bought up the Wild Turkey Federation again for the PATH project. Looks like the Nature Conservancy hasn't fallen for the same trick again -- yet. Local industry will always sell out to the highest bidder, but nobody listens to them anyway, and you can forget about "homeowners" -- those are your victims, not your tools, remember? Media – More than 200 stories a year in project area – consistency and frequency of message – remember; people have a need for information! Yes, we remember. This is why we control our local media and have over 200 stories a year. In the tri-state, we even control your media events! Establishment of web and phone based information and continual reminders of the availability of those services. Remind us all you want. You're the last place we'd go for information or assistance. I'm not going to copy and paste the next slide -- it just prattles along about public opinion during their sixteen year odyssey. Just the fact that it took them sixteen years to ramrod this thing through says it all. I'm willing to bet that even after more than 20 years, there are still plenty of folks who are angry about it down in Bluefield. Am I right? Finally, the last slide shows photos from their dedication ceremony. Nevermind the text -- we all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. The first photo shows super-rich AEP CEO Michael Morris either giving or receiving what looks like a landscape painting. Are those transmission towers on top of the mountain in the painting? Morris looks a bit perplexed, like he's thinking... "Those transmission towers were supposed to be painted in right down the middle of the road! Someone's in big trouble here!". The daisy chain of fawning politicians is a study in ridiculous expressions. Here's a game we can play -- in the comments you can tell me what you think each of them was thinking in the picture. Last thought about this photo -- is this painting going to be an addition to some bigwig's living room? The only addition us "barriers" have gotten to our own living rooms lately has been the intrusion of PATH right into the middle of the room where PATH squatted and left a nasty-smelling mess on the rug. How rude! We don't intrude into your living room, get the hell out of ours! Second photo -- crowd shot. Looks like they had nasty weather. Even Mother Nature was crying that day. Looks like an awful lot of police presence at the back of the crowd for the few people sitting in the chairs. Did each attendee need their own personal protection? Speaks volumes. So, I really don't have any other plans for the next 14 years. Guess I'll be seeing ya around, PATH! Since we're on this campaign finance kick, how about a little update about PATH's senatorial shopping list?
As reported back in August, Joe Manchin's campaign has been the recipient of huge amounts of power company money, and the donations have continued at a steady pace. Check out the list of his donors available here. Under "Committees Who Gave To This Candidate" don't miss the hysterically-named "THE AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT". Ha ha ha! *wiping away the tears* I don't see "bought and paid for" in any known definition of the word "responsible". Puh-leeze! In order to be fair here, John Raese also received corporate campaign contributions, although not much from power companies. See his list here. And then there's Jesse Johnson. See his list. I promise it won't take much time since, "No Committees Gave To This Candidate". Remember to vote November 2! |
About the Author Keryn Newman blogs here at StopPATH WV about energy issues, transmission policy, misguided regulation, our greedy energy companies and their corporate spin.
In 2008, AEP & Allegheny Energy's PATH joint venture used their transmission line routing etch-a-sketch to draw a 765kV line across the street from her house. Oooops! And the rest is history. About
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