Some have called these hearings a "charade" or a delaying tactic. That's simply untrue; although it does leave me asking why those who want this deal so badly object so vociferously to a full, public airing of these issues before the state decides whether to take this major step.So, after a year of hearings, analyses, reports, negotiations and thousands of public comments (ten to one in favor of wind power), Senator McDowell woke up one morning and decided we need "a full, public airing of these issues."
Fair enough; maybe he can help us understand the economic impact of the project. Or maybe not:
For instance, to date, no one has been able to offer precise numbers about what ratepayers will be paying over the next 25 years. When my colleagues hear cost estimates ranging from an additional 14 to 75 a month, it makes them understandably nervous.What makes me nervous is the way McDowell is throwing around such spurious figures, oblivious of the fact that someone has offered precise numbers. The Public Service Commission staff, in its final report, offered a number, and it doesn't fall within the range McDowell cites.
The number has two components: the price, which is specified in the Power Purchase Agreement, and the expected cost of energy when the project goes on line, which is at best an educated guess.
The PSC staff report presents a number of 6.46, which is probably high, since it is based on the assumption that natural gas prices will go down. I have described why I don't think that's likely.
Senator McDowell continues by complaining that his critics are "haranguing our effort to inform the public," and suggests further questions for those he describes as "self-appointed watchdogs."
The problem for Harris McDowell and other opponents of offshore wind face is not that the issue hasn't had enough public discussion; no other energy debate in our lifetime has generated as much public interest. Instead, I suspect that the problem for wind power opponents, including Delmarva Power, is that the issue has had "too much" public discussion, and that they have lost control of that discussion.
McDowell's hearings do serve one purpose; they are setting the stage for Delmarva Power to come up with something plausible sounding in time to kill the Bluewater Wind project. The hearings are buying a little extra time for Delmarva Power to come up with an excuse that that sounds reasonable enough to convince enough legislators to kill the wind farm without looking mean or obtuse when it comes to renewable energy.
Senator McDowell is trying his hardest to obfuscate and change the subject, but he isn't going to keep this self appointed watchdog from keeping a close eye on his hearings and correcting the record when weak or fallacious arguments are offered as reasons for killing the offshore wind farm.
Credit: about-alternative-energy.blogspot.com
