Wonky Wednesday: Public Engagement in Shaping Delaware’s Energy Future
The big news is that the Public Service Commission (PSC) more or less adopted its staff’s recommendation that Delmarva Power be directed to begin negotiating a long term contract with Bluewater Wind and with Conectiv and/or NRG for a backup natural gas facility.
How diligent Delmarva will be in negotiating is another matter. Last week, DPL president Gary Stockbridge said the company would go to court before it joined the negotiating table:
After taking a day to digest the report, Gary Stockbridge, Delmarva president, said that even if the commission votes to accept the conclusions of the report, Delmarva will refuse to negotiate.
After being gently prodded in public by Jack Markell and perhaps not so gently privately by everyone else who has to face the voters next year, DPL yesterday took a softer tone:
Tom Shaw, Delmarva CEO, said after the hearing he was pleased the PSC was willing to be flexible with the size of the proposed power plants. He said the company would take the commission’s action under advisement.
How gracious of him.
For those who imagine that the PSC has been operating in a political vacuum, this observation by PSC executive director Bruce Burcat bears repeating:
“A thousand people saying one sentence, we just want wind power, that’s one thing. We would take note of that. But they added significantly to the debate, and the information that was provided,” Burcat said. “We haven’t seen this much involvement by the public in a PSC process before.”
We, your friendly neighborhood bloggers, are happy to do our part in opening the process to interested citizens. In the last week, we’ve presented three important pieces of the story to you, the blog reading and commenting public:
1. Last week the Delaware Municipal Energy Corporation announced a deal with Bluewater Wind to buy $200 to $300 million of electricity over the next 25 years.
2. UD professor Willett Kempton and Jonathon Levy of the Harvard School of Public Health circulated their letter to the PSCestimating the health costs of continuing to burn fossil fuels:
With the inclusion of other health outcomes and given the factors described above that might imply greater benefits per unit emissions reduction in Delaware, the discounted present value of the health benefits of the proposed wind park likely greatly exceeds $1 billion.
3. And Jack Markell’s letter to DPL, which didn’t get so much play in the traditional media, was promptly posted by no fewer than three blogs: TommyWonk, Delawareliberal and DWA.
Bruce Burcat’s comment about the public involvement in the process noted not just the number of comments, but the degree to which the public has informed the discussion. In other words, you have had an effect by doing your homework, and our public discourse is getting wonkier. I couldn’t be prouder.
But we’re not done yet. The PSC won’t finalize its decision until May 22. The Office of Management and Budget, the Controller General and DNREC still have to concur in the decision. And then there is the matter of actual negotiations to come. Even if DPL agrees to sit down at the table, we have to keep in mind that its corporate interests and those of its customers are not the same.
We are seeing what happens when well-informed citizens get involved. We can’t let up now.
We can’t let up now.
So what should we do? Who do we contact? Who will make the final call?
Good questions.
I suggest we continue to contact our elected representatives to say we want them to stand up for our interests and not cave in to DPL.
As for who will make the final call, I don’t know because I don’t know how many more twists and turns there are to come in this story.
Assuming that DPL is directed to negotiate, we still have to pay attention to what’s happening in those negotiations.
I hear that the other 3 agencies need to publicly meet and agree with the PSC – meaning the OMB, Controller General, and DNREC…
You mean these guys?
OMB Director Jennifer (JJ) W. Davis FAX # (302) 739-5661,
Controller General Russell Larson ( russell.larson@state.de.us ) and
DNREC Secretary, John Hughes ( John.Hughes@state.de.us )
Them?
I was talking to someone in Delmarva and asked why they were so scared of Blue Water Wind.
I was told that on the inside of Delmarva, there is a realization that Blue Water Wind can sell electricity much cheaper, and with other sources of electricity soon to skyrocket, that Blue Water will be a direct competitor, possibly one day buying them out.
Someone put it this way. You try to stop the Wal*mart before it comes to your town.
We are seeing what happens when well-informed citizens get involved. We can’t let up now.
you said it Tom, you said it.
was told that on the inside of Delmarva, there is a realization that Blue Water Wind can sell electricity much cheaper, and with other sources of electricity soon to skyrocket, that Blue Water will be a direct competitor, possibly one day buying them out.
*
No duh, but just because the Delmarva stockholders may eventualy lose here, we will not allow the people’s business be dictated by those interests.
There are many in our own legislature who fit this bill. Isn’t it time to publicize the list of any official who is vested in these corporations (elected or otherwise).
The public is already on the losing end of this de-reg legislation, we will not allow any further fealty to the energy utility monopoly.
Delaware entrepreneurs love the atmosphere in Dover which generally favors monopolies.
Now is not for leadership to legislate “the way it has always has been done down there”. We need change. We need special interests to take a back seat to the public best interest.
on the inside of Delmarva, there is a realization that Blue Water Wind can sell electricity much cheaper, and with other sources of electricity soon to skyrocket, that Blue Water will be a direct competitor, possibly one day buying them out.
*
No duh, but just because the Delmarva stockholders may eventualy lose here, we will not allow the people’s business be dictated by those interests.
There are many in our own legislature who fit this bill. Isn’t it time to publicize the list of any official who is vested in these corporations (elected or otherwise).
The public is already on the losing end of this de-reg legislation, we will not allow any further fealty to the energy utility monopoly.
Delaware entrepreneurs love the atmosphere in Dover which generally favors monopolies.
Now is not for leadership to legislate “the way it has always has been done down there”. We need change. We need special interests to take a back seat to the public best interest.
Blue Water will be a direct competitor, possibly one day buying them out.
*
No duh, but just because the Delmarva stockholders may eventualy lose here, we will not allow the people’s business be dictated by those interests.
There are many in our own legislature who fit this bill. Isn’t it time to publicize the list of any official who is vested in these corporations (elected or otherwise).
The public is already on the losing end of this de-reg legislation, we will not allow any further fealty to the energy utility monopoly.
Delaware entrepreneurs love the atmosphere in Dover which generally favors monopolies.
Now is not for leadership to legislate “the way it has always has been done down there”. We need change. We need special interests to take a back seat to the public best interest.
Hey, I posted Markell’s letter.
http://delawareway.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-dont-understand-flat-out-refusal-to.html
Yes you did. Thanks Nancy.
And for another example of how bloggers are providing an informational service, and not just advocacy, when it comes to Delaware’s energy future: Kavips has been digging through the mountains of documents at the PSC, so you don’t have to. His posts on energy provide lots of links to help direct readers to sources that might otherwise remain buried.
Yes you did. Thanks Nancy.
I should also note that kavips, a genuinely wonky blogger, has done some great work linking to the enormous public record on the energy issue. One of his recent posts on the issue contained no fewer than fifteen links. This is how blogging can be a public service, not just advocacy.