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There's more news from the WV4ReliablePower website. Find out what PATH PR agency Charles Ryan Associates is doing with your $2.1 million in "advertising expense".
We need some accountability for how the public's money is being spent.
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Article in today's Journal regarding the additional tolling of the case before the PSC. According to Allegheny's spokesman, it's a matter of when, not if. Huh? He trots out this canned comment and then never does say when "when" will be. Never, perhaps? Who's on first? That's almost as good as the old "align the decision dates in all three states" comment. Allegheny needs some fresh ideas.
Allegheny has also embarked on an ad campaign regarding the issue (!) to compete with StopPATH's ad campaign. There's about a $million$ differences between the two -- StopPATH is paying for their own advertising while PATH is charging electric ratepayers in 13 states for their ad campaign (and making a 14.3% profit on every dollar they spend). YOU get to pay to watch or read PATH's commercials/advertisements, doesn't that sound equitable? Sometimes, you just can't compete. PATH's attorney's monthly data request filings have hit a new low for inaccuracy. The PSC staff asked PATH to provide a monthly report on the number and locations of residences needing relocation for the proposed project as well as the number of property owners contacted thus far. Doesn't sound too hard, does it?
The reports are sporadic. Many months have been skipped. The number of residences is 2 (only one of which is a permanent residence) and a location for these residences has never been divulged. Why, I've met with two separate landowners of year-round residences right here in Jefferson County in the past five days who were told by PATH land agents "the line is going to go right over the roof of your house". If the land agent is telling the truth, than Jay Ruberto is lying. If Ruberto is telling the truth, then the land agents are lying. Or maybe they're both lying? Who can tell? The number of properties identified requiring a right-of-way climbs monthly and now stands at 1,137. However, this month, the number of landowners contacted thus far dropped by eleven, from 1,111 in May to 1,100 in June. How did they un-notify 11 landowners? Were they all named Nell Fenwick and tied to the tracks by Snidely Whiplash or something? Did they all simultaneously develop amnesia? What happened to those eleven landowners? Why is our PSC accepting these illogical answers from parties who should know better while chastising pro se intervenors for their lack of knowledge about PSC procedure? In the PSC order of June 3, they made a determination regarding intervenor Tina Rappaport's allegations that PATH landowner packets contain inaccurate and misleading information. The Commission "does not perceive the information to be misleading", including PATH's statement which, "explains that access to the property will be required to conduct survey work, particularly that preliminary survey work will be needed to prepare the right-of-way agreement,".
Check out the new website that exposes the power companies' Coalition for Reliable Power as a marketing scam. The Reliable Power guys are trying to influence public opinion by pretending to be a grassroots coalition of citizens and businesses who are in favor of PATH when they are actually nothing more than a PR scheme not based in reality. It's all about appearances; but when someone looked behind the curtain, instead of finding the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz, there was nothing but a couple of PR drones pushing buttons and yanking levers. The marketing firms and the power companies that fund them ought to be ashamed of themselves for perpetrating this fraud on the public.
PATH partners Allegheny Energy and American Electric Power recently held their 4th quarter 2009 Earnings Calls, where they present to their investors how well their companies are doing. As the snow piles up outside, it's quite fitting to take a peek at the questions these companies receive from their investors about PATH. Where do you think the snow is deeper? Outside your house or in these transcripts?
First, Paul Evanson, CEO of Allegheny Energy (total compensation $67.26 million), gets bombarded with questions about PATH: http://seekingalpha.com/article/187041-allegheny-energy-inc-q4-2009-earnings-call-transcript Next, read how Michael Morris, CEO of American Electric Power (total compensation $9.90 million), claims that, "There are many people who just simply don't want the project to be built and they continue to intervene in any one of a number of jurisdictions, not with an eye toward, "Is this a good idea or bad idea," just simply that they don't want to see it built." Who thinks PATH is not a bad idea? http://seekingalpha.com/article/185224-american-electric-power-company-inc-q4-2009-earnings-call-transcript Now here's a fright -- both companies brag about how they are reducing the amount of money they spend on maintenance. It's all about building new and making a huge profit, not about maintaining what they already have to ensure that their customers have reliable electric service. We already know about AEP's maintenance failures causing widespread and prolonged power outages in southern/central West Virginia during the December storm. Now we cross our fingers as an even bigger storm pounds Allegheny Energy's territory in West Virginia's eastern panhandle.... |
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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