When the Words Speak for Themselves

Yesterday, Senator Lamar Alexander sent this letter to the Department of Energy:

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,

_____________________________                                     

Lamar Alexander                                                                   

United States Senator

I know I should just stop there and let his words speak for themselves, but I just want to throw a couple thoughts out there:

1) If your first thought in reading this letter is that this man is just a shill for nuclear, or to blame the Koch brothers, you haven't really been paying attention. The world would be easier if things were so black and white, but they're not. There's a lot going on here and this is whole situation is a fat ball of tangled up strings. Again, not to beat a dead horse or anything, but that's coming from a Bernie-o-phile. 

2) Read this article from the Times Free Press because, again, there's a lot going on here, too. Not the least of which is this quote from Mario Hutado:

 "We spend a lot of time talking with people in Tennessee and other states and what they tell us is that having more renewable energy options at an affordable cost is a good thing," he said.

I'm glad that Clean Line spends a lot of time talking with people in Tennessee. I wish they'd spent more time talking to Arkansans, landowners in particular, much earlier in this process. And I think more affordable renewable energy is important, too. But Plains and Eastern isn't the way to get there because the "affordable" in this equation comes partially from the fact that Clean Line wants access to a massive development discount: eminent domain. I know I say this all the time, but the people who pay for that discount aren't wealthy investors. It's the affected landowners. It's their neighbors. Clean Line claims they don't want to use it, but they do. Eminent domain isn't just for the hold outs. It's for everyone. It's the shadow lurking in the background that sends chills up your spine, that feeling that something is chasing you when you're alone in the woods. It's the ultimate backstopping authority and everyone knows it. So while Senator Alexander and I may disagree on much, I'm gonna go call him to say thanks. Thanks for standing up for us.