If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know how much we like to help our friends at the power companies with the puzzling task of getting landowners and ratepayers to agree with their outrageous schemes to overbuild unneeded transmission at our expense and/or pull the wool over our eyes while jacking up rates.

That's why we'd like to offer some landowner-created and approved suggestions to Clean Line that are guaranteed to turn that frown upside down!  After all, you're not a real transmission developer until StopPATH WV blog starts making fun of you!  Wear it as a badge of honor, Clean Line!

Reader Nance has come up with an ingenious new way to use orange t-shirts in advertising:

Clean Line could even hand out little promotional chotchkes of tiny transmission towers dressed in orange Clean Line shirts to serve as reminders to politicians, business groups, colleges, and local governments that their support has already been purchased.  Landowners will also want to take these home from open houses and public comment hearings, because water and granola bars (while very effective in setting a hairy-legged tree hugger image) are not very filling, when you spend all day working hard for a living.

And don't forget that all important indoctrination instant!  It's all about shaping the thought processes of the next generation to accept this abuse of due process as routine, right? 

Therefore, we'd like to add another word search puzzle to Clean Line's collection of ultra-exciting school activities!

Students and landowners alike will enjoy hours of fun learning all about Clean Line's projects and how they will shape their lives for many years to come!

Go ahead, Clean Line, use at will, we're giving you these great suggestions free of charge (unlike HDR, who is charging you an arm & a leg)!  Why are we doing this?  Because we love you!  Honest!

Watch this video to find out what offer Jimmy Glotfelty made to a group of high school students.

Jimmy, you're a creep!

Take your monopoly money and go back to Houston.

After issuing a preliminary opinion that FirstEnergy's  Hatfield's Ferry and Mitchell power stations were necessary for grid reliability, PJM ultimately changed its mind last week and approved closure of the plants on October 9.

FirstEnergy, PJM and state officials have been playing a confusing game of life or death with these plants for months now.

Pennsylvania legislators and regulators have been raising a ruckus, giving plant employees false hope that they could find a way to keep the plants open.  Ultimately, all this posturing was only harmful to the actual working men and women at the plants, who have been buoyed along on false hopes, and may have squandered valuable time in securing alternative employment or training for other jobs.  Very sad.

At least nobody is playing FirstEnergy's plant closure game this time though.  Last time, FirstEnergy scored some very valuable reliability must run contracts to keep plants slated for closure open until new transmission could be built.  However, in the end, those plants will close too, and when they do FirstEnergy has nothing to offer to loyal employees.  The company simply doesn't care.

Of course we shouldn't be surprised.  PJM is a transmission operating and building cartel.  Its annual planning is based on a Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP).  Transmission is all PJM does, therefore when the only tool PJM has is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.  While many uninformed people will blame some imaginary "war on coal," they'd be more effective pointing the finger at the pro-transmission lobby that is PJM.  Pay attention to PJM's new transmission project proposal window to find out why FirstEnergy decided to close these plants and replace them with transmission from other generators.  As PJM continues to expand, generation is increasingly centralized at generators located farther and farther  from load.  This isn't economic or reliable, but it puts money in the pockets of transmission owners, developers and suppliers.  This is the REAL enemy that closed Mitchell and Hatfield's Ferry.

So, FirstEnergy employees being kicked to the curb can develop new careers in transmission far from home, or they can invest in new opportunities in distributed generation in their own communities and join with the consumers opposing unnecessary transmission.  Whatever they choose, we wish them well.

Safety first, Potomac Edison customers!

Lots of stuff to catch up on today now that I'm back in this time zone, but the most important thing going on today is the legislative discussion of the study regarding electric utilities' billing practices being held at 3:00 p.m.  You may listen live at this link.  When it's time for the meeting, the location will change to a "Listen Live" link.  I  hope you have already called or emailed the members of Gov. Org. to let them know about your concerns regarding your electric bill.  If not, here's a link to committee members.

Please do your part to inform the legislators about your concerns.  "Someone" isn't going to take care of it for you this time.  "Someone" has been busy helping other people for the past week, and "nobody" stepped up to fill the void.  It's "do-it-yourself" this time.

Been hearing rumors about what all those clappers were paid to wear the orange shirts?

Wonder no more...

Students at Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago were recruited by the "RISE" club.

And just in case that wasn't enough, students were asked to name their price to fill a t-shirt:

Clean Line really ought to be embarrassed to have funded coerced testimony like this.

And the ICC should throw out any comment that was paid for by Clean Line.

This isn't how "the locals" play fair.

Updated:  More Clean Line misinformation and vapid inducement to get clueless kids from Lake Forest College to fill its ugly, orange shirts:

"Do you want to help pass legislation for renewable energy in the Midwest? Then come to the only public meeting for The Clean Line Energy Project which, if passed, will connect enough wind power from Iowa to Illinois to power over 1.4 million American homes!
If you are interested in going to the only public hearing for this project, next Wednesday leaving @ 4pm, please comment on this! I will happily drive us, and it will be a super fun trip in the name of clean energy!!"

Urrrrp.  I think I just barfed up a quart of perky.

It was standing room only last night in Mendota at an Illinois Commerce Commission public forum on Clean Line Energy's Rock Island "Clean" Line project.  The forum was held at the request of affected landowners and intended to provide a venue for the landowners to have an opportunity to comment on the proposal.

Instead, the arrogant Texas snake oil salesmen attempted to hijack the forum and disenfranchise the very folks the forum was intended to hear from.  Does "Clean" Line think the ICC was fooled?  Do they think they changed anyone's mind last night?  Or, more likely, did they simply demonstrate their arrogance and lack of morals to the Commission and the community?  One thing is certain, "Clean" Line made no friends, only enemies.  Ut-oh, "Clean" Line!

Read about the forum in The LaSalle News Tribune (pictures and video, too!)

"Clean" Line's problems began well ahead of the forum, when its hired public relations "team" arrived and insisted on setting up a table in the lobby.  Meanwhile, out in the parking lot, other "Clean" Line agents set up a gigantic sign next to their gas-guzzling SUV that was to serve as a check-in point where the company's imported supporters could get their "Clean" Line t-shirts, talking points and other party favors.  Soon, numerous white vans arrived and disgorged the classic contingent of union guys and students, who were suited up in the ugly orange t-shirts and hustled to the front of the speaker sign-up line.  "Clean" Line also attracted the usual gaggle of government and business interests who paraded before the hearing officer to state that they supported the project because they believed they could profit from it.

The ICC sign-up table was manned by two local volunteers.  "Clean" Line personnel appointed themselves as monitors of this activity, certain that "the locals" would stack the deck (and they weren't particularly nice about it either).  Citizens were told that sign-up would not begin until 6:30.  However, someone apparently tipped off the hearing officer that the crowd was much larger than anticipated and that sign-ups should open earlier.  And isn't it really coincidental that "Clean" Line managed to shove their union, government and business guys to the head of the sign-up line before it even opened.  Why, it's almost like they knew that sign-up would open earlier than the citizens had been told, and maybe intended to stack the deck with their own imported speakers so that the real people the forum was intended for were shut out.

You've got to get up pretty early in the morning to fool "a bunch of farmers" though, and the citizens quickly rallied and got in line.  Later, groups of students from the university arrived to be suited up in orange shirts and hustled into line, but it was much too late.  The line stretched well outside the school.  The students were disrespectful (and several appeared to be chemically altered) and the police were asked to intervene to keep students from harassing citizens.

And speaking of harassment, I've gotta give a "big man" award to "Clean" Line Executive Vice President Jimmy Glotfelty, who thought it was a good idea to get into a shouting match with the high school FFA members who were greeting folks at the door and handing out BlockRICL literature.  Maybe Jimmy didn't realize that the kids didn't write that (although he was told) but since when is it okay to harass kids?  Jimmy's arrogance was not appreciated by the adults watching this spectacle, and when an adult stepped in, Jimmy got even more irate until the police were summoned.  It's notable that the citizen is the one who was big enough to disengage and walk away.  While "Clean" Line showed their true colors last night, the citizens refused to be baited and behaved like the ladies and gentlemen they are.  Bravo, BlockRICL!

Because so many citizens showed up to speak at the forum, the crowd soon overwhelmed the 500+ seat auditorium and people were standing in the aisles.  When the auditorium couldn't hold any more, and most of RICL's orange shirts were relegated to the lobby, Clean Line implemented a plan to replace citizens in the auditorium with orange shirts from the lobby.  A "Clean" Line rep. was observed complaining to one of the police officers that the fire marshall needed to be called to enforce the occupancy limits of the auditorium.  Sure enough, folks were soon told that if they couldn't find a seat, they would have to leave.  While unlucky landowners who failed at this game of musical chairs were filing out of the auditorium, "Clean" Line reps. were busy shoving their orange shirts INTO the auditorium and escorting them to any empty seats they could find, causing further human traffic jams.  Nope, nothing underhanded about that little scheme.

The performance of "Clean" Line's Texas executives at the forum was quite revealing.  Despite being given several minutes at the beginning of the forum to make his case, VP Jimmy Glotfelty scooted out of the auditorium as soon as he was done speaking, like his shoes were on fire.  After he was done harassing people outside the auditorium, he deigned to sit among us, but his actions clearly demonstrated that he was totally bored and not listening to any of the citizen comments.  He stretched out and feigned sleep, after he got bored playing with his iPhone.  And the people are supposed to believe that this demonstrates an earnest effort to work with landowners to appease their concerns?  Jimmy clearly couldn't be bothered with "the locals."

In a classic case of pointing the finger at someone else, "Clean Line" accused the opposition of line jumping by signing up people to speak who were not present.  "Clean" Line was the only one who had the nerve to do that, and they got publicly slapped down by the hearing officer for it.  A woman from Morris County development something-or-other appeared in a different speaking order than citizens had seen her sign up.  That was confusing... until it was recognized that she had also signed up as another woman, who did not get up when her name was called.  Instead, "Clean" Line pushed one of their imported speakers to the front of the auditorium to "speak for" the woman who didn't answer.  The audience objected, and the hearing officer was told that the woman whose name was called had not even signed herself up.  The hearing officer asked the woman (who it turns out was present) if she had signed herself up, and she had to admit that no, someone else had signed her up before she arrived.  The hearing officer made him sit down.  The man who attempted to line jump finally got another turn at the microphone, when his name finally appeared in the order in which he had arrived.  And then... poetic justice intervened.  Just as he was about to open his mouth and begin his spiel, the hearing officer looked at his watch and announced that it was now 10 p.m. and the hearing was over.  Foiled again!  Turns out that he was some vice president at Southwire, flown in from Atlanta just to speak in favor of the project (because it will make money for his company).  And he failed.  Just like "Clean" Line.

The only thing "Clean" Line accomplished last night was to ruin their own credibility with the ICC with their desperate attempts to silence affected landowners and stack the deck in their favor.  Arrogance isn't the recommended posture for out-of-state snake oil salesman.

Clean Line’s Rock Island Clean Line has been presented to the Illinois Commerce Commission as a merchant project that will export wind energy from Iowa into the east coast’s PJM Interconnection region.

We are told that east coast states have a need for imported renewable energy, so therefore Illinois must make the sacrifice for the good of society.

However, RICL now has some direct competition from another merchant project that has been developed that doesn’t require any sacrifice from Illinois landowners.

The Lake Erie CleanPower Connector, owned by merchant developer Lake Erie Power Corp., would deliver Canadian-generated electricity to the PJM grid that supplies power to 60 million Americans.  The project would involve laying two six-inch high-voltage direct current cables from Nanticoke, Ont., to Erie County, Pennsylvania, about 100 kilometres across Lake Erie.  The project is not expected to need hundreds of miles of new rights-of-way across non-renewable farmland, and therefore will not cause the kind of expensive, time-consuming public opposition that RICL has.

The transmission line is proposed to import power into PJM’s 13-state and the District of Columbia regional grid, where state renewable portfolio standards require load serving entities to meet renewable purchase mandates by supplying power from “clean” sources.  It is expected to cost $1B, much less than RICL’s proposal.

The project would be entirely financed by the private sector, and the company would make money by charging a fee to have the power transmitted across the Lake.  This is the same business model that RICL originally proposed to adopt, however doubts about RICL’s access to capital, and its sly insinuations in filings with PJM and FERC that it is worthy of having its costs regionally allocated, indicates that RICL may have plans to dump the cost of its project onto PJM ratepayers, including millions in Illinois.

Lake Erie Power has already applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the right to transmit power. The company says a lot of environmental and engineering work has been done, and it has discussed the project with Ontario’s energy and environment ministries, and Canada’s National Energy Board.

The project’s main financial backer is Toronto-based JCM Capital, a private company that until now has invested mainly in solar power projects.

It looks like RICL now has some direct competition to supply “clean” energy to east coast states.  If the ICC approves RICL, there is no guarantee that the project will not be obsolete or have no customers before it is in service.  If other companies, such as Lake Erie Power Corp., are able to offer renewables to load serving entities in PJM at a lower cost, RICL will fail.

The ICC should carefully consider RICL’s proposal against other options and make the decision that we, as a society, will be comfortable living with for many years to come.  Illinois does not have to make the ultimate sacrifice for east coast states.  Lake Erie CleanPower Connector is a win-win solution.  RICL’s application should be denied.

Big doings tonight in Mendota, Illinois, the epicenter of opposition to Clean Line Energy's Rock Island "Clean" Line.  The Illinois Commerce Commission has scheduled a public comment hearing for 7:00 p.m.

And "the public" will be there... with bells on!

Read about it here.

Remember Matthew's story?

Here it is again, this time in the Topeka Capital-Journal.

The photo tells its own story.

These are real people.  They are not just points on a map or names on a list. 

And here's a quote that may come as a surprise to MISO and PJM:

"Developer Clean Line Energy estimated it would spend more than $900 million on the Kansas portion of the project, which would be recovered from the end users in Indiana and possibly farther east."

That's interesting, considering this project has not been approved for cost allocation in any regional planning process and has been sold to the permitting states as a merchant transmission project.  Who's going to pay for billions of dollars worth of Clean Line's transmission projects?