December 13, 2010
Editor,

In Ashley Craig’s November 17 story, “Packed house voices opposition to AEP rate increase,” AEP spokesman, Steve Ferguson, defends the company’s 13.8% rate hike proposal. He said, “We know the economic challenges our customers are facing and we’re doing our part to keep costs down.” There is such irony in this statement, which is completely incongruous with reality.

I am so sick of watching the unnecessary television commercials, which AEP and Allegheny Power air nonstop, about their proposed boondoggle, the PATH power line. How could anyone think squandering more than 6 million dollars of ratepayers’ hard-earned money on such frivolous expenditures is keeping costs down? And now, AEP is asking ratepayers to pay more, at a time when people are having difficulty simply paying their utility bills. 

This egregious multimillion dollar PR campaign has been added onto our monthly bills, since March 2008. The power companies are collecting reimbursement for these commercials every time we pay our power bills. The struggling citizens of our state have been and will continue to be footing the bill for this wasteful spending spree. AEP is saying they are keeping costs down, yet they continue to spend millions of dollars on an unnecessary “Public awareness campaign.” And now, they want more money from us?

Nancy Williams
Elkview, WV

Note:  The above letter submitted to the Charleston Daily Mail was edited until it no longer bore any resemblance to its original form.  I'd say their editor needs to go back to school to learn how to edit and have the remaining piece make sense, but this isn't the first time culling of facts that portray the power companies in a poor light has turned a well-written letter into a senseless, rambling shadow of its former self.  Shame on you, Daily Mail!

Today, Virginia respondent (intervenor) Al Ghiorizi filed this motion in the Virginia PATH case.  He very succinctly sums up everything we have been posting on this blog and Calhoun Power Line for the past month or so about PATH's lies and PJM's complicity in the deceit. 

Two great lines: 

"Now, we understand PJM has another Load Forecast with a new in-service date. It’s Groundhog Day all over again."

"As the bard wrote hundreds of years ago: “There’s something rotten in the State of Denmark.”

A very fun read!  Thanks, Al!

Yesterday I received notice that PATH has requested a reconsideration of Frederick County, Maryland's decision to deny the special exception for the construction of the gigantic substation. The date scheduled for the rehearing is Thursday, December 16 at 7:00 PM in Winchester Hall in Frederick.

My friends in Frederick have explained that this "reconsideration" will consist of the Board of Zoning Appeals reconvening to discuss their decision and take another vote.

PATH's whiny list of why the Board should reconsider is long and winding, so let's see if we can shorten it up a bit.

They think they presented enough evidence that the substation is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood and its impact would not be greater in this location than another agriculturally zoned location in Frederick County.  They also think the Board's interpretation of the comprehensive plan and legal precedent is incorrect.  Then PATH stoops to attacks on the two board members who voted against the substation.  Board member Clapp apparently missed some of the hearing.  Must have been a very small segment, because I never saw him missing when I was there, and that was the vast majority of the 25+ hours of testimony.  According to PATH, Board member Sepe has a conflict of interest, is unprofessional and should have recused herself. 

People who live in glass houses shouldn't cast stones.

Here's a link to what PATH filed.

Although some may think 6 hours of travel time to attend a meeting that probably didn't last an hour is a waste of time, yesterday's trek to PJM's TEAC meeting proved invaluable from an observation standpoint.  It's just as well that there wasn't anything particularly PATH-etic on the agenda, because analyzing the dynamics at work here was much more interesting.

What is PJM, why do their member utilities fear them, and why does PJM think they are invincible?  We know PJM is a cartel of electric utilities who are tasked with managing the regional electric grid system.  The idea of it may have sounded good on paper, but FERC has created a monster!  Since corporations are reveling in their recently-granted personhood, let's treat them accordingly.  After observing the way PJM and its members interact, I'm now seriously worried about the lights going out at any second while this dysfunctional little family gets lost in their destructive behavior patterns.

PJM plays the role of tyrannical parent.  The member utilities play the role of scared little children with varied levels of aggression.  The tyrannical parent makes decisions based not on the good of the family as a whole, but as a reward system for the more aggressive of the children.  These aggressive children receive their rewards with the understanding that they must remain in their subservient role to the parent, while simultaneously dominating the meeker children, in order to continue to receive the tyrant's approval.  Dysfunction Junction, without compunction!

PJM believes they answer to no one and have become bolder and bolder in their favoritism and illogical decisions.  When an action that is obviously illogical to family outsiders is taken, the family closes ranks.  The bolder of the meek, powerless children who are negatively affected by the action may ask an ineffectual question or two, but the tyrant is not to be questioned and does not even afford the courtesy of a proper answer.  Silence ensues and the action is accepted and any opposition is swept under the rug.

I observed one member utility ask several questions regarding actions favoring another proposed project over its own, only to be stonewalled by Herling, whose lips were moving, however nothing of substance was coming out.  It sounded a lot like Miss Othmar here.  The member utility finally gave up and suffered in silence.  None of the other members voiced an opinion.  Just because this method works for Herling in this venue doesn't mean it works in the real world the rest of us inhabit.  There were many other instances where PJM's contradictions or illogical actions were questioned, only to be handled in the same dysfunctional manner.  Specific rules or operational procedure that might curtail some of this dysfunction are not permitted to exist at PJM.  Although lip service is given to creating some, I don't think anyone seriously expects that to happen because then the dysfunction would cease to exist, and it seems like both PJM and its members revel in their oppressive, screwed up dynamic.

Why all these corporate "persons" are content to suck up to an unfair, hated tyrant instead of banding together to conquer their oppressor escapes me.  I guess they have spent so much time in the company of their little dysfunctional family that being tossed a crumb or two on occasion while watching their favored siblings feast at the all-you-can-eat buffet is better than not eating at all.  Dumb.  And the end-use customers are the ones who pay for it all.

Fortunately, Dysfunction Junction really isn't invincible at all and it seems that at least one of the citizen opponents has scented blood on the wind and has taken a particular interest.  I'm going to pay it forward and say about this person... "I'm glad you're on my side!" 
This person also sees a lot of parallels between Dysfunction Junction and and this video.  I agree! "The world is mine!"  :-)

Read the comments of PJM member company Exelon regarding PJM's inclusion of Dominion's Mount Storm-Doubs rebuild project in the RTEP.

Exelon makes perfect sense here, however the Dysfunction Junction known as PJM chooses to sweep another issue under the rug.

Exelon correctly states that inclusion of this rebuild in the RTEP will socialize the cost of the project across the PJM region among those who will receive no benefit.  They also accurately surmise that the rebuild of this line is due to structural issues and lack of on-going maintenance and periodic upgrade.  If Dominion is allowed to let their infrastructure deteriorate to the brink of failure in order to socialize the cost and absolve themselves of the financial responsibility of maintaining their infrastructure, a dangerous precedent is set (dangerous for your wallet!)  It would most likely start a landslide of utilities ignoring maintenance of their lines until failure is imminent in order to save on O & M costs and have ratepayers pick up the tab.

So what the heck is Dysfunction Junction doing including this project in their Regional Transmission Expansion Plan?  There's a whole lot of subversive deception going on at PJM and none of the member companies want to be the child who points the finger and declares that the Emperor is naked, but naked he is indeed! 

Perhaps if PJM included Dominion's entire Alternative 1 in their RTEP it would make a whole lot more sense for inclusion as, "expansion of existing facilities with capacity additions required to maintain reliability or qualify as market efficiency projects".  However, PJM approval of Dominion's Alternative 1 would temporarily obviate the need for the PATH project, and PJM has just reaffirmed the need for PATH.

Too many lies always catch up with their owners eventually and turn them into The Village Idiot.  Congratulations, PJM!

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." -- Sir Walter Scott

PJM's house of cards is swaying precariously in a new wind that has begun to blow.  PJM claims their planning process is "transparent", and I'm starting to agree.  It's becoming increasingly transparent that PJM will continue to erroneously favor the greed-driven projects of their most powerful members, even when their own credibility is on the line.  Seems like PJM doesn't even have enough intelligence to carry out the basic instinct of self-preservation.

On December 1, PJM announced that the Mt. Storm-Doubs rebuild was approved, and also reaffirmed that the PATH project is needed.  Huh?  The press release states that the Mt. Storm-Doubs rebuild will increase the capacity of "one of the most heavily used transmission lines in PJM" by more than 60%.  This capacity increase is not factored into the supposed "need" for PATH.  Why not?  A little too much transparency, boys?  That's okay, PJM, we can clearly see that you're no longer making any logical sense or even bothering to create some pretext of "need" for the project.

Apparently it's not just us citizens who see PJM bias -- the Consumer Advocates/Peoples' Council from eight different states (WV, MD, VA, IL, DC, OH, NJ and DE) have joined together to question PJM's recent actions.

At issue here is the way PJM has been playing games with proposed alternatives to the PATH project.  One such alternative, the Liberty Line, has now been rejected by PJM twice.  The most recent rejection was based on a conceptual study prepared by Burns & McDonnell (conflicting interests since 1898!)

Before we even get into some of the interesting conclusions the study reaches, let's talk about CONFLICT OF INTEREST.  Burns & McDonnell is also a contractor working on the PATH project.  How can they impartially evaluate a competitor to a project they are already working on?  They can't.  And the Consumer Advocates are pretty steamed up about that (and you should be too!)  I'm sure you, dear ratepayer, are paying for this worthless study.

The study prices the Liberty Line between $2 and 2.5 billion, compared to PATH's $2.1 billion.  Where's the conceptual study that priced PATH, you ask?  It doesn't exist.  PATH has simply pulled its cost estimates out of its... hat, and PJM takes them at their word, no study needed.  I have a sneaking suspicion that Liberty is overpriced and PATH is severely under priced.  Apparently I'm not the only one.

Couple of amusing things in the study: 

"...the Project would likely have several challenging issues to address associated with siting, real estate, permitting, and construction that could make it a complex and difficult project to permit and construct and thus could extend the schedule for the completion of the Project."

"Following the collection of available data, Burns & McDonnell identified the major constraints and issues within the study areas. These major constraints and issues consisted predominantly of environmental and regulatory constraints. Environmental, social or regulatory constraints are areas where transmission line siting is impractical or less favorable for institutional or social reasons, or because the potential environmental impacts are considered excessive."

"Risk factors that could delay the project duration are public opposition and organized opposition groups, state siting approval, the NEPA process, permit clearances and approvals, construction issues, and potential mitigation requirements. Several of these risk factors could affect the project duration significantly."

"In addition, the timeframe and costs required to energize the line would likely be significant based on the involvement of three different states and 15 counties and the issues and constraints described above."

"The following factors were identified and taken into account: Expected level of sophistication of landowners"

"National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance for the crossing of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. The Appalachian Trail is managed by the NPS. Any federal agency that is being asked to issue a permit to an individual or company must evaluate the environmental effects of the permit decision under NEPA. The NEPA review process could apply to the entire project length."

"Local zoning approvals from affected municipalities for a new substation at Kemptown."  Yeah, like how they turned down PATH's application for a special exception.

"Challenges associated with connecting to the new Kemptown Substation. The location of the Kemptown Substation is surrounded by residential development. A new 500-kV transmission line into this substation would likely require the displacement of a number of residences or reconfiguring the existing 500-kV line to minimize impacts to residences in the vicinity of the Kemptown Substation. There are also organized opposition groups, such as Citizens Against Kemptown Electric Substation (CAKES), that are opposed to the proposed location of the Kemptown Substation."

"Public opposition. As a result of several recent transmission line projects in the area (Urbana Loop, PATH, and Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP)), the public is highly educated about the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) process, and they have created organized opposition groups such as CAKES and the Sugarloaf Conservancy."

And any of this differs from PATH how?  Don't you just love how "sophisticated" we've all become?  That's just a nice way of saying that the citizens aren't the trusting, uneducated, country bumpkins that PATH expected.  Beware, unneeded transmission project owners, we're going to rip your head off and spit down your neck!

This next bit is especially interesting, considering how PATH has been continually playing the FERC card with the various state regulatory boards.  Just as I have always suspected, that card is really more of a joker -- one of the states ought to call their bluff...

"The proposed Project falls within the counties included in the Mid-Atlantic Area National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor as designed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). According to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, FERC may consider an application for a transmission line within this corridor. However, it should be noted that FERC authority can only be requested if the state does not act on an application for more than one year. In addition, FERC has never been asked to exercise their siting authority, which would likely create delays as the agency determines its review strategy. If the transmission line is processed under FERC siting authority, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be prepared for the entire transmission line."

Looks like big trouble coming up at PJM and at the three state regulatory agencies for PATH as they try to backpedal out of all the lies they have told to the public about their "transparency".  Hey, PJM, remember that old adage... "When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas"?  Now PATH's fleas are making you dance.  Let the heads roll where they may...

For more about this issue, be sure to also read PJM Deceives State Officials About PATH Alternatives — And Gets Caught on Calhoun Power Line.

I've been enjoying myself this weekend digging up dirt in PATH's little propaganda garden and I warn you, this is probably the funniest thing I've found yet, so prepare yourself for a really good laugh at PATH's expense.

Check out the agenda of the EUCI's 5th Annual Public Participation in Transmission Siting Conference slated to take place in Vegas in early January.  Specifically, look at who's taking the mic at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, January 10th.  Yup, it's our lil' coal-fella and his happy, smiley compatriot from AEP.  They will be "educating" participants as follows:
 
LEVERAGING LESSONS LEARNED

Tom Holliday, Director of Communications Services, American Electric Power

Doug Colafella, Manager, External Communications, Allegheny Energy

American Electric Power and Allegheny Energy are applying best practices to help gain approvals for the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH), a 765-kV project extending 275 miles through West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. Learn how the two companies are working together to apply successful strategies for grassroots outreach, community involvement, and public education while contending with project delays, entrenched opposition, and the economic downturn.

Ah.... hahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!

PATH never seems to learn its lessons about communicating with the public.  They continue to pile on the lies and propaganda, even though the truth about their dirty deeds has been exposed long since. 

Is there a new definition for the word "successful" that the rest of us don't know about?  I've been doing this for 2 1/2 years now and I have yet to find someone, anyone, who supports the PATH project unless they are being paid by the ratepayers, courtesy of PATH's PR machine, for their "support".  Instead, rational, fact-based opposition continues to grow on a daily basis.  PATH isn't fooling anyone anymore -- politicians resoundingly used opposition to PATH as a platform in the last election; the media knows they're full of crap and tempers every story with opposition views; industry competitors have launched and are successfully pursuing alternatives to PATH; and the regulatory authorities reviewing their applications are easily poking holes in their flimsy case and beginning to issue denials.

What we're experiencing (and laughing at) are their "best" practices?  In that case, I'd love to see their "worst" ones, just so some kind of comparison could be attempted.

"Successful strategies for grassroots outreach"?  What?  When did that happen?  The REAL grassroots groups laugh at your propaganda and if you "reached out" to us we'd likely interpret it as another attempt to rob us and bite your hand right off.... bloody nub, and all that.

"Community involvement"?  You two are truly legends in your own minds!  Using our money to bribe and buy is not "community involvement" by any means.

"Public education"?  We're getting an education all right, but it's not from you two.  And I hope you're not referring to your propaganda campaign and astroturf front groups -- those just aren't things to be proud of.

While contending with.... the truth!  Your little project is well known as an unneeded, greed-driven, corporate initiative.  You are both major failures!  Hahahahahaha!

While it would be fun to crash this thing just to have a good laugh, you two idiots aren't worth it.  I think I'd rather send Cotton and Devine-Wright (see next post) to Vegas, just so they could raise their hands and tell you both how full of crap you are.

I just hope all the conference participants mind the appropriate Vegas adage, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" and leave whatever made-up fantasy story you tell them behind before they head back to work.  Otherwise, you could set transmission siting PR strategies back hundreds of years!

Hahahahahahahahahaaaa!  Be sure to send me a copy of your power point afterward so I can make fun of it here on the blog.  There's nothing better than sharing a laugh with friends!  Meanwhile, we'll be here spreading the word about what a convoluted mess you two have made of the failing PATH project.

Instead of sucking up to their hired, sloppy-looking, I-phone addict with an affinity for ugly polo shirts in search of cumbs of observed "knowledge" about how to win over the public in support of their loser project, PATH should have hired these Brits from the University of Exeter way back in the beginning.

Professor Patrick Devine-Wright and Research Fellow Matthew Cotton from the University have recently published a study entitled, NIMBYism and community consultation in electricity transmission network planning.  While researching the study, they interviewed a bunch of UK transmission project executives and examined their theories about public involvement in the transmission siting process.  There's much to be learned here, and the parallels to the attitudes the citizens have encountered from PATH project drones tells me they've got it spot on.

You'll have to translate it out of "Brit-speak" (funny how the English can't speak "English" and have a phobia of the letter "z"), but here are a few quotes of interest:

"These localised factors highlight the asymmetrical distribution of electricity infrastructure impacts, whereby social benefits, risks and losses are unevenly distributed, particularly when losses and risks are "concentrated" to areas within specific proximities of line sites, and benefits are "dispersed" across broader society."

"The NIMBY label is problematic, as it is often used by proponents of development projects as a means to discredit all forms of project opposition, regardless of its motivation, and wrongly characterises local people as worried, irrational, ignorant of scientific and technical facts, and selfishly unwilling to support projects that benefit broader society.  Even if one were to accept this characterisation of citizens opposed to line siting, NIMBYism is neither irrational nor necessarily unethical."

If you have come to the conclusion that the PATH drones are just plain evil, this paper may help you to more properly classify them as ignorant and set in their ways.  It matters not to them that their ways don't work, especially when the project in question is completely and totally UNNECESSARY for the public good, they still persist in their same old, status quo, shady practices.  There's a lot of arrogance thrown in there as well (which you can see quite clearly in the industry quotes included in the study), but in all seriousness, I don't think they can help themselves.  They're never going to understand us or our issues, but that doesn't stop us from understanding them.  Knowledge is power.

Cotton and Devine Wright come to this brilliant conclusion:

"It would behove TNO organisations therefore to be mindful of the fact that public exhibitions themselves can become a focal point for proposal opposition to agencies' de facto decisions, suggesting that their use as a tool “enable constructive debate to take place, creating open and two-way communication processes" will likely serve the opposite purpose: reinforcing public opposition rather than ameliorating it, which could lead to project delay, or in extreme cases ultimately forcing the TNO to abandon its proposals, thus leading to planning failure and potentially causing damage to local community trust in the network operator organisations involved."

Little translation of my own:  PATH is completely screwed!  They cannot undo the damage at this point because they cannot turn back the clock.  What's the appropriate term for PATH's PR strategy's status?  FUBAR would be appropriate.  Nice work, knuckleheads!

I got a phone call today with a suggestion that we hold a little contest for our readers here on the blog.  Winner will receive something just as creative as their winning suggestion!

Those annoying PATH ads -- people find them in the strangest places!*  Since we're all paying for them (to the tune of $1.78M in 2010), we might as well get some use out of them.  What's the most creative use you've found for a PATH print ad?  How about ways to pass the time during a TV commercial?  Post your idea/suggestion in the comments section of this blog entry.  You don't have to use your real name, but you're going to have to identify yourself to me eventually if you're a winner and want to claim your prize.

*Disclaimer:  I actually don't see them.  Like much of PATH's target audience in rural WV, I must rely on satellite TV service -- blissfully PATH-free (hey, if you want to sign up for DirecTv too, say I referred you and I'll donate the bonus I'll receive for referring new customers to StopPATH WV).  I also read a PATH-free newspaper (email me if you want to know which one it is).

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.