While others were enjoying their pre-holiday week, Clean Line and its sycophants were busy embarrassing themselves in a most ridiculous way.
The Tennessee Valley Authority's Board holds periodic public "listening" sessions, where folks can sign up to say any old thing, as long as it fits into a three minute time slot. I've watched these before, and the most fun part is guessing what speakers in the queue might talk about based on the bottom half of their outfits and any props they have in their hands. The same parade of environmental group representatives come back again and again, saying basically the same thing. This appears to go on for hours. The Board sits stoically, stone-faced and unresponsive, perhaps playing the same mental guessing game I do. Wow, what a great party! Or maybe just a colossal waste of time. Certainly nothing newsworthy, since none of these comments are ever acted upon, it's all just so much posturing.
I guess the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy wanted to spice up its continual posturing last month when its Director told the Board that taking private property through eminent domain to build a $3B electric transmission "clean line" would eradicate the threat of the Zika virus. No, really.
The Tennessee Valley Authority's Board holds periodic public "listening" sessions, where folks can sign up to say any old thing, as long as it fits into a three minute time slot. I've watched these before, and the most fun part is guessing what speakers in the queue might talk about based on the bottom half of their outfits and any props they have in their hands. The same parade of environmental group representatives come back again and again, saying basically the same thing. This appears to go on for hours. The Board sits stoically, stone-faced and unresponsive, perhaps playing the same mental guessing game I do. Wow, what a great party! Or maybe just a colossal waste of time. Certainly nothing newsworthy, since none of these comments are ever acted upon, it's all just so much posturing.
I guess the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy wanted to spice up its continual posturing last month when its Director told the Board that taking private property through eminent domain to build a $3B electric transmission "clean line" would eradicate the threat of the Zika virus. No, really.
The United States issued the first domestic infectious disease travel advisory since the 1950’s earlier this month for Florida over the spread of Zika virus. This is an historic advisory. (The FDA is now expanding the testing of blood for Zika in the United States.) SACE has a pregnant staff member in south Florida who is now effectively in a state of house arrest because of this vector borne tropical disease outbreak.
Clean Line can also make summer not so hot, and stop flooding. Who is this guy kidding? He's got nothing to back up his ridiculous claims that a "clean" line is "an historic opportunity of national significance."
The only thing historic about this is the amount of private investor cash that's been dumped into a company that will never realize one dime of revenue. Or perhaps federal government overreach to effect private property takings outside its statutory authority. Or both.
And then Dr. Doomsayer let the TVA Board know how economic a "clean" line would be with a bunch of armchair energy planning "analysis." Such as:
The only thing historic about this is the amount of private investor cash that's been dumped into a company that will never realize one dime of revenue. Or perhaps federal government overreach to effect private property takings outside its statutory authority. Or both.
And then Dr. Doomsayer let the TVA Board know how economic a "clean" line would be with a bunch of armchair energy planning "analysis." Such as:
The low cost wind coupled with the concurrent transmission revenue that TVA will likely receive for wheeling the wind power to other recipients makes the deal more competitive for TVA consumers, even if your demand is low, by displacing higher cost fossil fuels.
We believe Clean Line is “in the money” or very close.
What? What money? What qualifications does SACE have to analyze the economic competitiveness of a merchant transmission line, and moreover, why should the TVA Board rely on SACE's amateur analysis? I'm pretty sure the TVA has a whole staff of its own economic experts to study a "clean" line and whether it's "in the money."
Not to be outdone, the Clean Line puppet master also made an appearance with some spurious claims of his own.
Jimmy Glotfelty, executive vice president for Clean Line Energy Partners, told the TVA board last week that it could deliver wind-generated power from Oklahoma and Texas up to 60 percent of the time at around 3 to 3.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is cheaper than some of TVA's other energy costs. Such wind-generated power could be available in two to three years after new wind turbines are erected in Oklahoma and Texas, where the wind blows more steadily than in the Southeast, and after Clean Line builds its proposed 700-mile line from the panhandle of Texas to Memphis.
The cost will be cheaper this year because the maximum federal production tax credits, worth the equivalent of 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour, will begin to decrease after Jan. 1.
Delivered for 3.5 cents? If the delivery costs 3.5 cents, what does the energy cost? Since Clean Line doesn't own any wind generation and does not sell energy, the only costs it can quote are for transmission capacity on its own proposed line.
And who does Jimmy think pays for all those delicious federal tax credits that would make energy so cheap for TVA? The taxpayers. So while Jimmy is telling TVA it would get a 2.2 cent break on every kWh if it signs up for transmission capacity before the end of the year, the energy consumers in TVA would also have a part in paying for that tax credit! Maybe Jimmy really believes the federal wind production tax credit is free money that falls from the sky? Except the tax credit isn't available to transmission companies, only generators. Where are the generators for TVA to ink a deal with, if it was even possible to do so by December 31? Jimmy sounds like a carnie, urging his mark to put their money down and spin the wheel at a shady joint.
And why is Jimmy continuing to beat this dead horse anyhow? It's not going to get up and pull his wagon.
And who does Jimmy think pays for all those delicious federal tax credits that would make energy so cheap for TVA? The taxpayers. So while Jimmy is telling TVA it would get a 2.2 cent break on every kWh if it signs up for transmission capacity before the end of the year, the energy consumers in TVA would also have a part in paying for that tax credit! Maybe Jimmy really believes the federal wind production tax credit is free money that falls from the sky? Except the tax credit isn't available to transmission companies, only generators. Where are the generators for TVA to ink a deal with, if it was even possible to do so by December 31? Jimmy sounds like a carnie, urging his mark to put their money down and spin the wheel at a shady joint.
And why is Jimmy continuing to beat this dead horse anyhow? It's not going to get up and pull his wagon.
TVA President Bill Johnson said no decision has yet been made about Clean Line or any other proposal. He said TVA could move ahead "if it makes sense under our timetable, not someone else's timetable.
"We've been in long-range discussions with them (Clean Line Energy) under several memoranda of understanding," Johnson said. "Our objective here is quite simple: to have the least cost, cleanest, most reliable system all at the same time. If it turns out that Clean Line is a part of that, then we will do that. But we are still in the evaluation phase."
Jimmy says:
"We continue to to have strong discussion with utilities in the Southeast and we continue to have productive talks with TVA because we believe this is a very competitive source of clean energy which we think would add value to their portfolio," Glotfelty said.
Well, shoot, Jimmy, if your discussions with other utilities are so "strong," why don't you just sign contracts with them instead of engaging in Kabuki theater at TVA board meetings?
Where are the customers, Jimmy? Having trouble "selling" a hypothetical transmission line fed by hypothetical generators with a hypothetical "approval" to utilities who expect the resources they contract for will be available when needed?
Chicken. Egg. Chicken? Where have all Clean Line's chickens gone?
Where are the customers, Jimmy? Having trouble "selling" a hypothetical transmission line fed by hypothetical generators with a hypothetical "approval" to utilities who expect the resources they contract for will be available when needed?
Chicken. Egg. Chicken? Where have all Clean Line's chickens gone?
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