Contradictions. That's the trouble with doublespeak; inconvenient and pesky contradictions keep popping up, such as this glaring faux pas in a Richmond Times Dispatch op-ed by PJM blowhard Michael Kormos.
"In the case of offshore wind projects, located miles off the coast, lines will be needed to move the electricity from the generators to the onshore grid."
But then:
"New transmission lines will be needed to move electricity from renewable sources — many in remote locations, far from existing transmission lines — across multiple states to the urban areas where the power is needed."
Whoa, there, buddy. Why would new transmission lines crossing multiple states be needed to move offshore renewables to the onshore grid? Last time I checked, there weren't any states located in the Atlantic Ocean.
Can't quite decide if that 800-pound industry lobbyist gorilla that lurks in the corner at PJM Interconnection is going to insist that East Coast population centers be forced to have their "public policy" goals met by Midwest wind located a thousand miles away? Or will the big East Coast energy companies prevail and get rich on the offshore wind right on their doorstep?
"The FERC, which provides regulatory oversight for regional transmission organizations (RTOs), recognizes the problem and recently issued an order related to what can be done to ease building transmission lines that aren't strictly for reliability and providing for those who benefit from those lines to help pay for them."
Oversight? You mean like that really cool babysitter you had back in elementary school that let you jump on the bed and make prank phone calls to the local pharmacy to ask them if they had Prince Albert in a can? So, the overly permissive FERC babysitter is going to make it easier to build unneeded transmission lines for other reasons, which are going to end up so muddled that it will be impossible to properly allocate costs or challenge a subjective planning process. Also, those who benefit from them will help pay for them... with the rest of us who don't benefit from them picking up the bulk of the tab, right? That's awfully nice of PJM and FERC, don't you think? I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees a trip to the judicial fun house in the making. You know, sometimes when you insist on having too much of a good thing, you end up with nothing at all.
And not to change the subject, but that Governor's Conference on Energy isn't about renewables, is it? Check out the "sponsors" here, and then check out the prices for sponsorship. For the cost of all those "receptions" and "meals," check out the price list for how much those "sponsorships" cost here. Yeah, Virginia is for lovers, and lobbyists, and coal companies, and coal burners, and gas companies, and oil companies, and public relations propaganda, and front groups. What? Front groups? How shocking! I'm certain the Governor's office didn't knowingly endorse industry front groups Faces of Coal and Virginians for Reliable Energy by permitting them to "sponsor" his conference! Of course not! The muck is getting pretty deep, I hope the conference participants brought their hip-waders...
"In the case of offshore wind projects, located miles off the coast, lines will be needed to move the electricity from the generators to the onshore grid."
But then:
"New transmission lines will be needed to move electricity from renewable sources — many in remote locations, far from existing transmission lines — across multiple states to the urban areas where the power is needed."
Whoa, there, buddy. Why would new transmission lines crossing multiple states be needed to move offshore renewables to the onshore grid? Last time I checked, there weren't any states located in the Atlantic Ocean.
Can't quite decide if that 800-pound industry lobbyist gorilla that lurks in the corner at PJM Interconnection is going to insist that East Coast population centers be forced to have their "public policy" goals met by Midwest wind located a thousand miles away? Or will the big East Coast energy companies prevail and get rich on the offshore wind right on their doorstep?
"The FERC, which provides regulatory oversight for regional transmission organizations (RTOs), recognizes the problem and recently issued an order related to what can be done to ease building transmission lines that aren't strictly for reliability and providing for those who benefit from those lines to help pay for them."
Oversight? You mean like that really cool babysitter you had back in elementary school that let you jump on the bed and make prank phone calls to the local pharmacy to ask them if they had Prince Albert in a can? So, the overly permissive FERC babysitter is going to make it easier to build unneeded transmission lines for other reasons, which are going to end up so muddled that it will be impossible to properly allocate costs or challenge a subjective planning process. Also, those who benefit from them will help pay for them... with the rest of us who don't benefit from them picking up the bulk of the tab, right? That's awfully nice of PJM and FERC, don't you think? I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees a trip to the judicial fun house in the making. You know, sometimes when you insist on having too much of a good thing, you end up with nothing at all.
And not to change the subject, but that Governor's Conference on Energy isn't about renewables, is it? Check out the "sponsors" here, and then check out the prices for sponsorship. For the cost of all those "receptions" and "meals," check out the price list for how much those "sponsorships" cost here. Yeah, Virginia is for lovers, and lobbyists, and coal companies, and coal burners, and gas companies, and oil companies, and public relations propaganda, and front groups. What? Front groups? How shocking! I'm certain the Governor's office didn't knowingly endorse industry front groups Faces of Coal and Virginians for Reliable Energy by permitting them to "sponsor" his conference! Of course not! The muck is getting pretty deep, I hope the conference participants brought their hip-waders...
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