Unity? A joint response showcasing grassroots resolve...

*This post will be updated as more resolutions of opposition are obtained.*

Yesterday, Mr. Hurtado sent out an email thanking everyone who came out to the recent Department of Energy meetings. Predictably, landowners were dead last on his list of people deserving kudos. He celebrated the "unity" of the over 1,500 attendees as if he owned it. As if all of us were there not only because of Clean Line, but in support of the project. As if we were somehow there to celebrate the disregard with which his company has treated us.

Well, those of us who attended meetings in Oklahoma and Arkansas saw some unity alright, but not on behalf of Clean Line. Rather, it was among the landowners and local officials who spoke against the project, shouting for bread and roses, and even among the environmental groups who endorsed the project with the caveat that landowners be treated with fairness and consideration... Guess what? Mario saw all that, too. Which makes his email just that side of, well, you can guess...

But, since we're talking about unity, let's take a moment to observe and appreciate the string of entities on the route who have issued letters and resolutions in opposition to Clean Line. You've seen some of these before, but they're worth a second look. Why? Because: From the quorum court resolutions to the proposed federal legislation... they are all just so dang pretty:

Johnson County, AR (01/01/15)

Pope County, AR (01/08/15)

Cherokee Nation, OK (01/12/15)

Letter from Rep. Womack to Secretary Moniz (01/15/15)

Comment Extension Request (01/23/15)

Crawford County, AR (01/26/15)

Letter from Sequoyah County, OK, Commission to DoE (01/26/15)

 Arkansas Joint Energy Committee Letter to DoE (02/09/15)

Introduction of the APPROVAL Act by Senators Boozman and Cotton (02/12/15)

Cleburne County, AR (02/17/15)

Franklin County, AR (02/17/15)

Cedarville, AR (02/17/15)

Conway County, AR (03/03/15)

Quapaw Area Council, Boy Scouts Of America: Letter of Opposition (03/10/15)

Tipton County, TN

Town of Vian, OK (03/16/15)

White County, AR (03/18/15)

Arkansas State Senate Passes SR22 in Opposition to Plains and Eastern (03/25/15)

Arkansas House of Representatives and Senate Passes HB1592 (03/25/15)

HB1908 - To Establish a Bill of Rights for a Property Owner passed by Arkansas House (03/25/15)

Town of Dover (4/21/15)

Arkansas Delegation with Senator Alexander requests Section 1222 comment period extension (06/09/15):

 

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) sends letter to the Department of Energy (06/11/15):

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Dear Secretary Moniz,

I write to express my serious concern with the Plains and Eastern Clean Line Transmission Project.

The Plains and Eastern Clean Line Transmission Project proposes to build a single 700 mile direct current transmission line from Oklahoma, through Arkansas, to deliver wind power to Tennessee and other southeastern states. The proposed project raises several concerns that must be carefully evaluated by the Department of Energy.

First, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Draft Integrated Resource Plan, TVA would not have a need for this wind power until the 2030s, at the earliest. In other words, the project proposes to fill a need that is not present at this time and could force a comparatively expensive source of energy on Southeastern utilities that don’t need the additional generation.

Second, the Department needs to take the true cost of wind power into account. Wind only has an average capacity factor of about 35%. Therefore, when considering the costs of wind power, the Department should also take into consideration the cost of all of the backup generation needed to support the grid during the 65% of the time wind isn’t producing electricity. Additionally, wind is not effective at meeting the peak demands of the grid, because the wind blows when demand is low (at night) and does not blow when demand is high (during the day). Therefore, the true cost of wind must include the energy storage and dispatch infrastructure that wind energy requires to support a stable grid.

Third, the wasteful wind production tax credit has provided billions in subsidies to the wind industry over the past 22 years. The tax credit has been in place for 22 years and has been extended 9 different times. The subsidy costs the tax payers more than $6 billion over ten years each year it is extended.

The subsidy to Big Wind is so generous that in some markets, wind producers can literally give their electricity away and still make a profit. This phenomenon is called “negative pricing,” and it has the effect of making baseload power plants, like nuclear plants, less competitive and more likely to close. The Department should take into account the impacts of the wind production tax credit when evaluating this proposed project.

Fourth, the Department should take into account the potential problems with relying on a single transmission line from Oklahoma to Tennessee. According to the National Climate Data Center at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, from 1991 to 2010, Oklahoma and Arkansas averaged over 100 tornados per year. Over the same time, the states averaged nearly six major tornados each year. A single tornado could take down part of transmission line, cutting off the wind farms from TVA. The proposed path of the project makes an inherently unreliable source of energy even more unreliable.

Finally, while the states of Tennessee and Oklahoma have approved the project, Arkansas continues to oppose the project. The use of Federal eminent domain authority would strip Arkansas of their traditional property rights. The Department should carefully consider Arkansas’ concerns and resist efforts to undermine states’ rights.

I appreciate the Department’s consideration of my comments, and I urge the Department to take my concerns into consideration as you evaluate the proposed Plains and Eastern Clean Line Transmission Project.

Sincerely, 

 

Senator Lamar Alexander

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Resolutions not yet obtained, but passed:

City of Mulberry (02/17/15)

City of Alma

Now, if you didn't get to attend a meeting, you should definitely check out the comments that have been made thus far to the Department of Energy. You can go there directly, but Keryn’s analysis is much more interesting:

http://stoppathwv.com/1/post/2015/03/plains-eastern-eis-comments-the-people-roar.html

And if you’re heading that way anyway, be sure to take a peek at her blog on "Interstate Compacts" designed to override state public service commissions (anything to strip a state of the power to say no)… an excellent and timely read:

http://stoppathwv.com/1/post/2013/01/transmission-siting-interstate-compact-neutralizes-state-authority.html

Why timely? Let's just say there's more to come from both the Arkansas House and Senate, including legislation specifically brought into existence to prevent the Arkansas Public Service Commission from ever giving eminent domain to a company like Clean Line. It’s seriously doubtful that they will do anything to limit the state’s control of transmission line siting after all this.

"Building large-scale infrastructure takes a long time"? Especially when your practices have hardened the locals against transmission and set the mood on wind energy back about fifteen years. Way to go!

Once again, Secretary Moniz: How many more reasons do you 

need? It is TIME!