From NY Newsday: Deregulated Power Grid Presents Own Challenges. An interesting read.
Daily Archives: November 17, 2003
“SOCKET TO CALIFORNIA” AT RPPI.ORG
If you would like a copy of the Wall Street Journal commentary from last week but are not a WSJ subscriber, it’s available online at Reason.
ENERGY BILL GOES TO CONGRESS
The conference committee finally pushed through the energy bill on Friday. Here’s a list of stories addressing the merits, or serious lack thereof, in the legislation.
Overview of the bill from the Washington Post, reflecting the general conclusion that little will be gained from this very expensive bill.
“GOP touts energy bill, but provides few specifics”
House, Senate OK broad energy bill
Republicans agree on a sweeping energy bill
Electricity provisions of the bill:
Bill lets US order power lines built
Enabling FERC to collect wholesale price data from utilities
May not help grid investment and construction
Aims to prevent blackouts
Industry would establish rules for grid use
Increasing the strategic petroleum reserve by 300 million barrels
Ethanol subsidies/MTBE replacement:
Details of ethanol measures in the energy bill
Farmers could make hay with energy bill
Energy bill awash in oil, but still leaves room to double ethanol
Fuel additive hot button in energy bill
Bill makes MTBE waiver retroactive
Bill protects MTBE manufacturers from lawsuits
Subsidies to various industries (except ethanol, so egregiously subsidized that I list it separately):
Industries may cash in on energy bill
Industry tax breaks fill energy bill
Energy bill would benefit companies
Tax breaks for oil
Coal measures of the bill
Drilling in ANWR:
Energy bill does not include ANWR drilling
Arctic left out of energy bill
Republicans say energy bill will boost economy
Looming conflict in Congress over bill:
Congressional conference votes today on energy bill
Showdown looms over energy bill
CALIFORNIA ENERGY CRISIS DECLARED OVER
According to this AP story from last Thursday, outgoing California governor Gray Davis has declared the energy crisis over:
The recalled governor issued a proclamation Thursday ending the state of emergency he declared on Jan. 17, 2001, as wholesale electricity prices hit record highs and California suffered rolling blackouts. The crisis, which aggravated the state’s budget deficit, played a key role in Davis ouster in last month’s recall election. …
The emergency powers allowed Davis to seize power contracts, streamline the application process to build new power plants, demand rebates for consumers who conserve energy and tell shopping centers to reduce their outdoor lighting.
Other stories on this repeal are from the Sacramento Bee and the San Francisco Chronicle.
My initial, snotty, observation on this event was “how nice to be able to declare such a thing by fiat”, but my more politically savvy friend Adrian Moore points out that by ending the state of emergency, Davis denies the abililty to use “state of emergency” powers to incoming Governor Schwarzenegger.
I wonder if Governor Schwarzenegger would have even used such powers … but that’s not the point. The point is that it’s a last-minute spiteful move on Governor Davis’s part.
CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS
I am on the back end of a work trip, and am thus unlikely to have much time today for posts.
Fortunately, Carnival of the Capitalists is up over at Professor Bainbridge’s place. I was a total flake and spaced sending him my fishing property rights post, but oh well … there’s a lot of good stuff there to chew on.
