Anger Makes You Dumb

The opposition to Missouri HB 1062 is one of  desperate, ever-shifting arguments of questionable veracity, and an increasing amount of anger.  The angrier these opponents get, the dumber they sound.

I think we reached a pinnacle with today's Wind Energy:  Attempt on by state politicians to thwart Kirkwood wind power (sic).  In this article, the director of Kirkwood's Electric utility claims support for the legislation is coming from only 15 people, and that he's going to "appeal" the legislature's action to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and it will be decided there.

This guy has some really crazy, misguided thoughts.  FERC isn't some federal appeals court for state transmission decisions you don't like.  FERC is a regulator, not a legislative body.  FERC's regulatory jurisdiction applies only to electric transmission RATES.  It has no siting, permitting, or eminent domain authority for electric transmission, federal or state.  Since HB 1062 deals only with state eminent domain law (not rates, not permitting, not siting) there simply is no role for FERC here.  Aside from that, how does one "appeal" an act of one body to a completely different body? 

“I would contend that an interstate transmission line is an issue regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,” added Petty. “And this issue may ultimately be appealed and decided in that arena.”

Good luck with that, Ace!  It's not happening.  Ever.

And then there's this:

“State Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Frankford, has filed legislation which says no private entity has the power of eminent domain for the purposes of building above-ground merchant lines,” explained Petty. “ But he’s clearly not the only legislator feeling the pressure from about 15, or fewer, out of 500 landowners that share this ‘not-in-my-backyard attitude’ about transmission projects for any type of transmission project.”

Just 15, you say?

Perhaps you incurred an error while manipulating your abacus?

Sure looks like a lot more than 15 to me.  Perhaps your magnifying glass was really a mirror?  Because I can maybe count 15 people who are opposed to this legislation... a handful of you city guys and a few party line legislators who have been resoundingly outvoted.  You claim to speak for the majority, but I don't see any grassroots opposition to this bill.  Nobody is simply going to get excited enough to rally at the Capitol over a $3.00 savings on their electric bill.  It wouldn't even pay for their gas to Jefferson City.

Nevertheless, Petty is concerned that Hansen’s bill could pass the Missouri House and go to the Missouri Senate as early as next week. If it becomes law, it will be back to the courts for the much-delayed project.

Terrified sounds more like it. 

Back to the courts?  So you're going to challenge the constitutionality of an act of the legislature?  That sounds kind of expensive.  Are you strictly speaking for Kirkwood, or are you speaking for some other entity with deep enough pockets to engage in years of fruitless litigation?  Or are you simply making idle threats?

And then there's the guy from The Sierra Club, who apparently has no idea what the legislation is about, so he makes stuff up based on Sierra Club's all-purpose "dark money" narrative that continues to erode any credibility it once had.

So, what makes Grain Belt line different?
“The difference is it carries clean wind energy, so it threatens the fossil fuel industry, as well as the monopoly utilities that depend on coal,” Hickey said. “So, the issue of ‘eminent domain’ is only an issue for these legislators when it involves wind energy. If it is coal energy, or a tar sands pipeline, eminent domain is all okay.”

According to Hickey, Rep. Hansen is being joined in his fight against the transmission line by House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield. He said the legislators are clearly carrying water for the fossil fuel industry.

And The Sierra Club is clearly carrying water for the wind industry... or maybe it's just handfuls of cash.

Maybe someone should ask The Sierra Club how much air pollution will be emitted in Missouri to create the extra coal-fired power that the city utilities plan to ship east on Grain Belt Express in equal amounts to the "clean" energy they think they'll receive?  If the wind power substituted by the cities is created in Kansas, emissions gain will be had there.  If the power produced by the cities in Missouri creates emissions, the emissions will stay in Missouri, even after the power is exported to eastern states.  Kind of like putting a poor idiot in a round room and telling him there's a penny in the corner.

And at that, let's move onto the repetitive, garbled and patently untrue comments made by MPUA lobbyist Ewell Lawson.  It's pretty hard to hear what this guy is saying, but it seems to go like this:  The developer has had no opportunity to even talk with landowners about easement acquisition because they couldn't do it without PSC approval, and that just happened.  He also thinks the PSC built special authorities and protections for landowners into its order.

First of all, how did GBE acquire 39 easements in Missouri over the past 6 years or so if it wasn't allowed to talk to landowners until PSC approval?  Landowners have had about all the "talking" with GBE that they can stand.  Their answer is "no."  Perhaps Ewell missed the PSC testimony where GBE's representative talked about having to condemn property quickly just to do surveys?  Landowners didn't miss that.  And about those "special authorities and protections," they were written by GBE!  It's a fox's plan to secure the hen house.  It doesn't protect landowners.  This guy needs to quit trying to speak for those poor, poor landowners who just want an opportunity to talk with GBE about easements.  That's nothing but a fantasy.

What will these guys think up to say next?  The exaggerations are wildly entertaining, but ultimately futile.  Watching this is more entertaining than prime time TV.

Nexxxxxxt.......