It appears that FirstEnergy and its apologists at the WV PSC believe that our legislators are dumb and forgetful.
That's the only explanation I can come up with for that regurgitated pack of lies legislators were fed during the Gov. Org. discussion of the study regarding electric utilities' billing practices on Monday afternoon.  I do realize that it was late in the day and our legislators wanted to go home, instead of grilling the company and its regulators.  However, only a few legislators managed to ask questions, and they could have done a better job with more information.  Nobody expects legislators to have read all the documents in the case, but a little preparation would have been nice.  It's up to each one of you to get your legislators up to speed here so that they can do a better job following up on your concerns next time.

Next time?  Although Chairman Snyder made noises that  the committee "may not pick it up again," let's not kid ourselves.  The people haven't lost interest and, in fact, a whole new wave of billing problems is beginning to form.  Ut-oh!

Karen Short, PSC attorney, began the festivities by apologizing and making excuses for FirstEnergy again.  Her litany of excuses was almost verbatim to those offered by by PSC Communications Director Susan Small back in May.  When Small's list of excuses for the company was read aloud at the Citizens' Public Hearing, Senator Snyder went ballistic, shaking his fist and proclaiming that making excuses for FirstEnergy "wasn't their [the PSC's] job!"   It must have been the delivery, because I didn't hear Senator Snyder object to:

1.    FE had billing problems related to its merger.
2.    FE made bad decisions about these changes.
3.    Storms!  Storms!  Storms!
4.    Renumbering.
5.    Last winter was 30% colder than the one before.

Here's what Short told legislators the PSC was doing or had done to remedy the problems:

1.    Ordered FE to make monthly data filings.
2.    The General Investigation will evaluate the systemic problems.
3.    FE has changed its collection policy to be more customer-friendly.
4.    The Commission will render an Order setting public comment hearings.
5.    The Commission can order the company to meet specific metrics.

She also asserted that the Commission is concerned about new estimates perpetuating last year's errors.  Great... but is she going to read my meter every month now to correct this problem?  No.  Your "concern" is greatly appreciated, Ms. Short, but why not make the company correct its previous errors and estimation routine to keep it from perpetuating this winter.  It's already begun, and we're hardly into the heating season.

Short says FirstEnergy has been "responsive."  Maybe that's what it looks like from a seat on the Commission's bench, but the view is so much different from my house.

Byron Harris, Consumer Advocate, stopped by on his last day of work to be congratulated and thanked by the legislators.  Even with all that going on, Byron was the only presenter who tried to stick up for you, however, he admitted that he has no data on your complaints because that is handled by PSC staff, and not the Consumer Advocate.  The Consumer Advocate has asked for public comment hearings in Charles Town, Martinsburg and Morgantown.  If you want one in your town, you need to call the new Consumer Advocate, Jackie Roberts, at 304-558-0526 and let her know. 

Byron touched on topics such as pay for performance, making the problems an issue in a future rate case; that the company should have internal controls to flag an account with too many estimates; that he would have to go to hearing to get any remedies the Consumer Advocate might suggest, or FirstEnergy could fight improvement and take the case to hearing.  He mentioned that the company has hired a consultant to analyze their billing program, and Byron hopes it will be an independent and honest process.  He was asked what the customer remedy would be for the company's  failure to follow the tariff and responded that the customer could file a complaint with the PSC.

Byron said the public hearings will be very important.  The PSC and the Consumer Advocate needs to hear from you!

Excuses made for FirstEnergy:

1.    The company spends $6M/year on meter reading.  Having good service will cost too much.
2.    Customers can read their own meters.
3.    FE "works with customers" and is responsive.
4.    There has been some improvement, but there is a long way to go.

In response to Senator Snyder's questioning about an effective legislative remedy, Byron wasn't very helpful, except to shoot down Herb's suggestion to add the meter reading frequency to statute (and perhaps with good reason).  If Herb wants some real suggestions, he knows who to ask... or maybe he'll just get told ;-)

FirstEnergy trotted out WV "Director of Operations" Holly Kauffman.  Where has this woman been?  Nobody has seen or heard from her since this debacle began.  Maybe she's just a do-nothing figurehead whose job is to run boring power point presentations and use up valuable discussion time?

Anyhow, Holly said she takes pride in how FirstEnergy supports "our customers."  Well, I guess that explains it then.  Holly went on to say that FirstEnergy will fix their problems "as a company."  Then she made all the same old, tired excuses as Karen Short.  Do you think they rehearsed this together while exchanging recipes and doing each other's nails?

Holly wants us to believe that FirstEnergy launched its own "internal investigation."  Was that before or after they blew off the Citizens' Public Hearing in Charles Town?  Let's save Holly some embarrassment and admit that we sent her a personal invitation.  She never responded.  Instead, lobbyist Sammy Gray merely "respectfully declined" the invitation for a second time.  I guess Holly just does what Sammy tells her to do.

Holly says FirstEnergy's estimation process is fixed!  You believe her, don't you?  No?  Okay then, she also admitted that the EPRI analysis of FE's billing system has not yet been completed... but why should they bother, when it's already fixed?  And, one more point to ponder -- who is paying for this study?  Surely not the ratepayers, since the problem was caused by the FirstEnergy merger.... and no merger costs are billable to customers.  Well, at least that's what the merger stipulation says, but it also says that FirstEnergy's merger would be a huge benefit to electric consumers in West Virginia.  We're still waiting, FirstEnergy.  Your merger has been nothing but misery and agony for your captive customers.

FirstEnergy did one good thing!  I know... shocking, isn't it?  Supposedly they have hired 7 roving meter readers to fill in during absences and help the meter readers catch up on those impossibly heavy meter reading schedules.  Wow!  Did they call in Sherlock Holmes to figure out that they need some sort of back-up system because life happens?  They have also supposedly begun calling customers to alert them in advance of a renumbering double billing event about to happen.  Is that because that tiny line of text on the bill just wasn't effective?  Right.

But then she got carried away and insisted that FirstEnergy is responsive to customers and that no customers had their power disconnected due to the billing fiasco.  This is just plain NOT TRUE!

A few legislators asked questions, but Holly batted them all away as insignificant or unworkable.  A very unintelligent discussion of smart meters ensued, but Holly's bottom line was that we could either have cheap electricity or good service, but not both.

And make note of this... in the event that you overpay the company due to an over estimated bill, you can call and request that they send you a check instead of being stuck with a huge credit.

To sum it up, FirstEnergy is a company that "continues to improve" and "continues public outreach."  After all, when you've hit rock bottom with customer service, the only direction to go is up.

Please write to your legislator and let him/her know that you are not satisfied with Monday's performance.

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.

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.

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.

Industry-funded front groups.  Every transmission developer uses them.  Nobody is fooled, but that never stops them from trying to influence regulatory approvals with an astroturf appearance of public support.
I've written plenty about the seven common propaganda devices and how they're used by transmission developers to facilitate regulatory approvals for their project.

Here's a quick and easy blog post.

Here's a longer, more technical explanation with real life examples from the PATH project that were part of the 2010 ATRR Formal Challenge that FERC granted and set for hearing (propaganda discussion begins on page 15).

Would it come as any surprise that Clean Line Energy is busy sending out promotional information to unsuspecting patsies via its own astroturf front group just days before the Illinois Commerce Commission public hearing?

No.  I wish I had a dime for every time I correctly predicted what some transmission owner would do next so that opposition groups could get there first and set an appropriate trap.  Me and my Magic 8 Ball would now own our own private island somewhere warm and transmission line-free.

Meet Clean Line Energy's astroturf front group.  This group falsely claims:

Where are the residential consumers?  They're not on CEA's membership list.  Those are commercial and industrial business groups.  However, Clean Line Energy Partners is listed as a "member" under the category heading "Energy Providers and Suppliers."  This organization is registered with the IRS as a C35 (Energy Resources Conservation and Development).  Does that sound like an organization run by "consumer voices?"  It apparently didn't to the IRS, either.  See CEA's very informative IRS Form 990 for tax year 2011 here.  It seems that a lot of money was spent "expanding dialogue between energy and consuming sectors."  Although, this organization can't seem to make up its mind whether it is advocating for clean or dirty energy.  Any port in a (revenue hungry) storm, I guess.

I give this an 8 out of 10 on the boldface lie scale.  It's only topped by the time one of PATH's front groups illegally claimed that it was a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

FAIL, Clean Line, F-A-I-L!

Watch Toad blink and twitch his way through another fairy tale.

The people aren't buying it.  In fact, this story only makes them ANGRIER and more determined to show up at the upcoming public hearings in record numbers.

It seems many want to take Toad on for his lies.  How about it Toad?  Want to debate with your eager public?  Maybe we can all roll our eyes and make faces!

Anyhow, why not let the reporter know where she went wrong?  (Please be nice!)