Oh what a tangled web we weave...

Imagine that! Just a couple days after our letter of opposition was posted on Clean Line's docket with the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, a new letter of support from the "Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council" has been posted. The letter is here:

http://www.tn.gov/tra/orders/2014/1400036y.pdf

This is not surprising. Not only is Clean Line a TAEBC member (http://www.tnadvancedenergy.com/members/), but they also have a representative in the group's "delegation" (*cough* lobbying group? *cough, cough*) to the Department of Energy, a gentleman by the name of Max Shilstone (http://www.tnadvancedenergy.com/tag/department-of-energy/). Maybe he can visit Mr. Gotfelty's old pals while he's there.

 "Pictured above: TAEBC Delegation in Washington D.C. Back row (L-R): Mary Shafer Gill, ARiES Energy; Charles Sims, Howard Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy; Matt Kisber, Silicon Ranch; John Hopkins, University of Tennessee. Front row (L-R): Steve Drevik, Agilaire; Ben Edgar, White Harvest Energy; Dan Hurst, Strata-G; Jeff Kanel, Renewable Algal Energy; Ashley Patterson, Amereso; Sam Jackson, Genera Energy; Bob Hilton, Alstom. Members of the TAEBC D.C. delegation not pictured: Max Shilstone, Clean Line Energy; Paul Hamilton, Schneider Electric; Tom Ballard, PYA and Cortney Piper, interim director of TAEBC."

It gets even better:  Not only is Clean Line a TAEBC member with a representative on the group's "delegation", they also have a "to be determined" VIP on TAEBC's "Advisory Committee", as well (http://www.tnadvancedenergy.com/about-us/advisory-committee/).

Also, this is their YouTube channel which is complete with videos from Chris Hardy and Hank Seltzer, both representatives of Clean Line, speaking on their behalf:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS3kY11injGw4uA0YBDO57w

Now the important stuff:

As I stated before, with Clean Line's heavy involvement in this organization, it is not at all surprising that they have come out in support of the Plains and Eastern Clean Line. The most important thing I think we can glean in all of this, however, is information provided in a project that the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council produced entitled "Tennessee's Advanced Energy Asset Inventory." That "project" dated September 2013, can be found here:

http://www.tnadvancedenergy.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/TAEBC-Energy-Asset-Inventory.pdf

Many of you may know that the Plains and Eastern Clean Line was originally planned to be not one, but two 3,500mW transmission lines, totaling 7,000mW. In Clean Line's original application to the Department of Energy, they applied for the twin 3,500mW lines. After the initial application, Clean Line modified their application to a single 3,500mW line. The original 7,000mW proposal to the DoE can be found here:

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/Plains%20%26%20Eastern%20Clean%20Line%20Transmission%20Project%20Application.pdf

The updated proposal to the DoE which modifies their project to a single 3,500mW line can be found here:

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/Plains_and_Eastern_Clean_Line_August_2011_1222_update.pdf

You may ask: Why is the above "project" that was completed by TAEBC important? It is important because of one simple line that can be found on page ten of the project:

"Clean Line Partners of Houston, Texas, has entered a memorandum of understanding with TVA to deliver wind power from Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas to Tennessee. Prior to completing what would be America’s largest power transmission line, the $2 billion proposal must receive an environmental impact evaluation from the U.S. Department of Energy as well as right of way approval through Arkansas. The project’s first phase is proposed to deliver 3,500 megawatts, comparable to the energy consumption of one million homes. How much of this power would eventually come to Tennessee, and at what cost, are decisions yet to be determined by TVA. Clean Line estimates the project would provide more than 5,000 construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs maintaining and operating the wind farms and the transmission line.xvi"

This is extremely important because many in the opposition movement have suspected that Clean Line is planning to "get their foot in the door," so to speak, with their initial single 3,500mW line and then simply expand the easement at a later date to include a second 3,500mW line. There now seems to be an indication that Clean Line may be, indeed, planning a second line at some point in the future. What does this mean? Landowners would not only potentially have one, but TWO transmission easements on their property that could total between 300-400' wide, and not only one, but potentially TWO 120-200' tall transmission lines on their property. This would render most people's land along the route completely useless and valueless.

But wait, there's more! 

In reading through the Department of Energy's "National Electric Transmission Congestion Study, dated August 2014 on page 86 of the PDF, page 56 of the study, there seems to be an error:

"The Plains & Eastern Line is a 7,000 MW capacity, 800‐mile line planned by transmission merchant Clean Line Energy that would originate in western Oklahoma and end in western Tennessee, with a target in‐service date of 2017."

Was this just an error on the part of the Department of Energy, or has it been the plan all along to start with a single 3,500mW line and expand it at a later date once the initial easement has been obtained to TWO 3,500mW lines? We'll let you be the judge.

Congestion study can be found here:

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/08/f18/NationalElectricTransmissionCongestionStudy-DraftForPublicComment-August-2014.pdf

The next time you speak with a representative of Clean Line, it would be a good idea to ask them what their ACTUAL plans are. My guess is they'll be just as disingenuous in providing the answer to this question as they are about any other questions that are asked of them. 

If this doesn't alarm you, I am not sure what will!

P.S. - And can someone please explain to Clean Line that a "Memorandum of Understanding" isn't a marriage contract... It's more like a promise ring.