Gerald Hocker apparently doesn’t like that Maria Evans called him out on being so wrong about wind power. He has a guest post up on WGMD’s blog (of all places). The strategy appears to be to throw out as much BS as possible, in hopes of people hearing it so much that they start to believe it. So let’s clarify some of Rep. Hockers clarifications.
First, he says that he didn’t understand the bill when it was debated, but that his questions were answered incorrectly. But, as Maria pointed out, the part that he was fuzzy about is written in simple English, not some sort of legalese.
I would not have voted for HB 6 if I had known it was forcing Delmarva Power into a contract, especially a 25 year contract.
So on that point, I call “Bullshit” As for his assertion that his questions weren’t answered correctly, he offers no further examples. I’m guessing that he is just made it up.
HB 6 does require Delmarva to enter into a long-term contract with an in-state producer of electricity. The Bluewater Wind proposal to build a 150-turbine wind farm off the coast of Sussex County is the plan that has emerged from that process.
Correct! It does. Moving on.
However, Ms. Evans is apparently unaware that SOS customers buy only 28-percent of the power distributed by the utility. Thus, HB 6 places 100-percent of the cost of the wind farm project on the backs of Delmarva customers who purchase less than a third of the company’s electricity. That does not strike me as an equitable arrangement.
Let’s try it this way, Rep. Hocker: 100% of the benefit of the wind farm project will come to the Delmarva customers that promised to buy the power that BWW produces. We know how much wind is going to cost us for the next 25 years. Can you say the same about coal or gas? Do you think that the price of fossil fuels will drop in the next 25 years?
Furthermore, the remaining 10% that your bill proposes to expand the cost sharing to would be paying into the wind farm, despite garnering no benefit from it. Does that strike you as an equitable arrangement?
Then Hocker goes down the rabbit hole of it being unfair to force Delmarva Power into a contract with BWW.
I also believe it is an intrusive abuse of state power to force one private company into a long-term contract with another private company. I’m unaware of whether such a state mandate has ever been enacted, but I would argue that it is an improper use of that authority, regardless of its good intentions.
To this I simply ask if this would have been an issue if Connectiv or NRG were winners in the bidding process? Would they have been unsure about whether the contract should be 25 years?
Rep. Hocker, I think you are being disingenuous and specious in defense of a corporate paymaster, at the expense of the people of this state that have spoken consistently, intelligently and overwhelmingly in favor of the wind farm. You have positively identified yourself as part of the problem. You can be sure that we politically active people in the state of Delaware, on both sides of the aisle, will make a point of your stance on BWW in your next election.