The good folks of Illinois put one of our successful PATH opposition tactics to work against Clean Line Energy Partners in their state.  Landowners in the path of the Rock Island Clean Line (RICL) project have sent written notice to the company that they do not wish to be contacted by land agents or other company representatives unless and until the company is issued a CPCN by the Illinois Commerce Commission.

The Illinoisans made one small modification though, they did not limit contact by U.S. Mail.  After all, power company propaganda makes a great, free lining for the chicken house or pig pen.

And, because it is the only avenue left to the company after failed appearances at recent public comment hearings, they have been sending mail to affected landowners.  One recent, pointless letter from Clean Line's Hans Detweiler

served as cover for a company FAQ.  The FAQ attempted to respond to recent information about the project posted on the BlockRICL website and Facebook page, but I think a lot of RICL's information is misleading or just plain wrong.  Here's where I think RICL got it wrong:

Rock Island Clean Line Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Rock Island  Clean Line?

A: The Rock Island Clean Line will be part of the nation's critical infrastructure that will help power our homes, communities, and the clean energy economy. The project will consist of an approximately 500-mile, overhead, direct current (DC) transmission line. The line will be capable of transmitting up to 3,500 megawatts of new renewable  energy from northwest Iowa and the surrounding region  to communities in Illinois  and in states farther east. The project will deliver enough clean, renewable energy to meet the needs of over  1.4 million American  homes.

The Rock Island Clean Line is not part of any national infrastructure plan and need for it is not critical.  RICL is intended to transport electricity generated in western Iowa to eastern Illinois, where it will be connected with the PJM Interconnection system to be sold to consumers in east coast states.  RICL will not power homes in the communities being asked to sacrifice to host the transmission line.  The economic benefits of RICL will flow into the pockets of Texas-based Clean Line Energy Partners, LLC, not into the pockets of the landowners hosting the project.

Although the line will be capable of transmitting up to 3,500 megawatts of energy, it only has firm transmission injection rights to deliver 700 MW of energy into PJM.  RICL may never deliver its claimed capacity upon which it calculated supposed “benefits” of the project. (Rebuttal Testimony of Steven Naumann, ComEd, ICC Docket No. 12-0560).

RICL makes much of the claim that its project will deliver renewable electricity to “states farther east,” however RICL has no customers, and has not produced any commitments or desire for its product from “states farther east.”  In fact, eleven east coast governors have written to congress, ten of them twice, stating that importing renewables from other states via long distance transmission lines would hamper renewable energy and economic development in their own states.  The “states farther east” do not want or need what RICL is selling.

Q:What will the project cost be  and  how will the Rock Island  Clean Line  be funded?

A: The Rock Island Clean Line is estimated to cost approximately $2 billion. Clean Line Energy intends to fund the development costs of the project and will sell transmission capacity to renewable energy generators  or to the buyers of the clean energy being delivered on the line.  Clean Line is not seeking any federal or state funding.

RICL has also shown its intention to ask for regional cost allocation for its transmission project.  RICL has proposed in filings with PJM and FERC that its project could be considered a reliability or market efficiency project under PJM’s planning process and that the company may bid the project in future transmission opportunity windows.  If RICL is successful in having all or part of its project regionally allocated, all PJM ratepayers could be ordered to fund the project, including those in Illinois.  If ordered to be built for reliability or economic reasons by PJM, RICL would be eligible to apply for federal transmission incentives, including return on equity adders and guaranteed recovery in the event of project abandonment.  The financing and cost of RICL is not certain.

Q:Will  Illinois ratepayers have to pay for the transmission line?  Will rates go up because of the Rock Island Clean Line?

A: No. There is currently no method for Rock Island Clean Line to charge Illinois ratepayers for the cost to build  the Rock Island Clean Line. If any such way were to be developed in the future, Rock Island Clean Line has agreed to re-apply  to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) for  permission in a new proceeding to do so.

If RICL were to “develop” a way to charge Illinois ratepayers for its project in the future, that way would be through regional cost allocation via the PJM tariff.  The Illinois Commerce Commission has no authority to deny PJM’s assignment of cost responsibility for a project, and therefore its “permission” is not necessary.

There are three potential sources of money to fund transmission lines: government money, ratepayer money  ("cost allocation"), or private money  (merchant projects).  The Rock Island Clean Line is not using government, or taxpayer, funds.  There are no government subsidies available for transmission lines. The Rock Island Clean Line is not using ratepayer money.  There is no mechanism to allocate the costs for a project like Rock Island to ratepayers. Rock Island is utilizing a merchant model (private money) whereby only those wind energy developers or utilities that use the line will pay for it.

For now.

The Rock Island Clean Line will decrease wholesale electricity prices for Illinois consumers. In fact, the project will reduce wholesale electricity prices in Illinois by $320 million in its first year of operation, with additional savings in later years. Because electricity in Illinois is deregulated, per the law of supply and demand, Illinois residents and businesses can benefit from reduced electricity costs because the Rock Island Clean Line will significantly increase the amount of electricity supplied to Illinois.

RICL has failed to produce any reports or studies to back up its claim that it will reduce prices by $320 million.  Until RICL backs this up with figures, it’s pure fiction.  Any “savings” would be temporary as markets stabilize.  In addition, if RICL opens new supply lines for electricity into PJM, it could cause prices to rise over the long term as cheaper electricity flows to pricier PJM markets.

Q: Can I grow crops or build anything under the transmission line?

Transmission lines can prevent aerial spraying and irrigation, and construction can damage drainage tile and compact soil.  Transmission lines can also interfere with GPS equipment.  So, the answer is that you can try, but you probably won’t be very successful without extra cost and effort.

A: Clean Line will acquire easements, but the land will  still belong to the landowners and can be utilized for  activities  such as farming, grazing cattle, and other activities  that do not interfere with the operation of the line.  Farming of row crops can continue under the lines. There will be sufficient clearance under the transmission line to grow full-height crops, not including tree crops, and to operate standard farm equipment. Clean Line Energy must comply  with the  National  Electric Safety Code and  North American  Electric Reliability Corporation Standards to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the transmission line.

Landowners will still own the land, including the burden of paying property tax on the portion containing RICL’s transmission line.

Clean Line estimates that the right-of-way needed for the Rock Island Clean  Line to  meet operating standards will be between 145 to  200 feet  wide; however, the  line will directly impact  much less land than  that.   Property taken out of production by the transmission line foundations will typically comprise less than 1% of the easement property.

Written by Texas wind speculators, not farmers.  Read with skepticism.

Q: Will landowners be compensated if the transmission line is on their property?

A: Yes. Clean Line Energy is committed to compensating landowners fairly.  There are three primary components to landowner compensation: an easement payment, structure payments, and payments for damages. The total amount of compensation for landowners who  have structures on their  property will be more  than 100% of fair market value of the easement area.

The easement payment  is based on the  area  of the easement, calculated  in acres,  and the fair market value of the  land within the  easement. Fair market value is determined through  a market study of recent sales in the county.   Clean  Line will pay 90% of fair market  value of the  easement area.

How will “fair market value” be determined?  Most likely by an out-of-state appraiser who will never visit your property but will research land sales in your county and calculate an “average” of selected land sale prices to apply to your unique land.

Structure compensation is calculated based on the type of structure and the number of structures. The landowner may choose to receive either a one-time payment or a series of annual payments. Annual payments will be made as long as a structure is on the easement. The annual payments range from  $500 to $1,500 per structure or  the one-time payment ranges from  $6,000  to $18,000 per structure.  Depending on the land, and other engineering conditions, we expect 4-6 structures per mile.  Other payments may be made for damages in certain circumstances such as crop  damage, soil damage,  irrigation  or drainage  interference.

Who determines “damages” and their value to the landowner?  Do not sign any agreements with RICL without first consulting an attorney and tax advisor of your own choosing.  You do not have to accept what RICL is prepared to offer.  You may write your own compensation contract, or simply hold out and watch RICL’s offers rise the closer you get to an eminent domain condemnation proceeding.  Eminent domain is an expensive, time-consuming process RICL doesn’t want to engage in.  The landowner holds all the cards in negotiation!

Q:  How will Clean Line address impacts of construction to farmland?

A: Rock Island will work  to prevent and repair agricultural  impacts associated with the construction process.  Rock Island will work with  landowners to identify drainage  tile locations prior  to construction and minimize impacts  to such tile.  For damages  that  cannot be avoided,  Rock Island will decompact soil, repair  or  replace field tile, and take other steps as needed.  Rock Island will compensate landowners for  damages incurred as a result  of construction or  maintenance on their  property.  Rock Island has also committed to  pay for crop damages due to  construction and crop damages  that  may occur  due to maintenance associated with the  transmission line.

Rock Island Clean  Line has an Agricultural  Impact Mitigation Agreement with the  Illinois Department of Agriculture that  discusses  these  measures. This agreement details the extensive efforts  Clean  Line will make to  mitigate impacts  to agriculture.  The Agreement is incorporated as a part  of the easement  agreement Rock Island Clean  Line will  present to landowners.

Unless all these promises are put in writing within the four corners of your signed and recorded contract with RICL, they are nothing but empty promises.  In addition, which party will determine damages and define the effectiveness of repairs?  Don’t trust your land to empty promises by out-of-state limited liability corporations!

Q: Will Illinois benefit from construction jobs and tax revenues from the Rock Island Clean  Line?

A: Illinois will benefit from the  Rock Island Clean Line in several ways. The  line will be a $600 million investment in Illinois providing local jobs and tax revenues  and bringing  a new low-cost clean energy resource into  Illinois.

Rock Island is committed to using qualified  local and regional contractors whenever practical to construct and maintain the transmjssion line.   Examples of local jobs resulting from the construction of the line include  surveying, silt fence construction and pouring concrete. Rock Island has selected Kiewit Power to provide construction management services for  the project.  Kiewit cannot and will  not  perform the construction of the 500 mile line on its own.   Kiewit has substantial expertise with using local labor  and local services  to assist with the construction of major  infrastructure projects. Kiewit also has significant  experience working with landowners to minimize the impacts of construction to existing land use and to return land to pre-construction condition. Rock Island is dedicated to preserving the productivity of farmland. Kiewit's like-minded commitment to these goals is one of the reasons we've selected  them  for  this project.  Rock Island Clean Line has also committed to using multi-craft union  labor.

Ask if RICL or Kiewit have signed any legal contracts to use local/union labor.  We are not aware of any.  It would be prohibitively expensive for RICL or its contractor to have to negotiate with surveyors, concrete companies and silt fence installers in every town along its 500-mile length.  Expect that these services will be subcontracted to another entity that may or may not employ local labor for very short term projects.  RICL is committed to constructing its project as cheaply as possible, and that includes the price of labor.

While RICL may pay a minimal amount of property taxes on its infrastructure in your county, it will have a greater impact by devaluing properties to result in a lower assessed value that translates to a lower tax base to support the same level of county services.

Q: Will Rock Island use  eminent domain?

A: Rock Island intends  to reach fair and reasonable  voluntary agreements  to acquire easements from landowners, allowing plenty  of time  for  discussion.   Rock Island has not applied for  eminent domain  from the Illinois  Commerce Commission at this point and does not  intend to do so unless and until all reasonable, voluntary efforts at easement acquisition are exhausted.

RICL will not “apply for eminent domain” from the Illinois Commerce Commission.  The ICC is not a court that can condemn property and take it through eminent domain.  Only a court and jury of your peers in your own county can determine the amount of compensation you will receive in an eminent domain taking. 

RICL claiming it does not intend to “apply” for eminent domain unless you refuse its offers is not giving the landowner a choice of whether to sell, it is a threat to agree, or else.

Rock Island has applied for  a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the  Illinois Commerce Commission to operate as a public  utility in Illinois.  This is a requirement under  Illinois law in order to construct and operate a transmission line in the state of Illinois. It is also necessary to have a CPCN prior to seeking eminent domain; however, as stated above, Rock Island does not  intend  to apply for  eminent domain  unless and until all reasonable, voluntary efforts at easement acquisition are exhausted.

A grant of CPCN and public utility status from the ICC is the power to take your property “for public use” through the courts by use of eminent domain.  No further action before the ICC by RICL would be necessary.

Q. Will Rock Island take farm land out of  production?

A: Rock Island will acquire  easements, but  the land along the route will still belong  to the landowners and can be utilized for farming, hunting, and other activities that do not interfere with the reliable  operation of the line.  Less than  1% of the easement area that Rock Island Clean Line is seeking will be permanently taken out  of agricultural production, due to the footprint of the transmission structures.

If a landowner grants an easement for the project, RICL will control the landowner’s use of the entire easement in perpetuity.

We have carefully developed a compensation package that  includes an easement payment and structure payment which, when combined, will compensate landowners at or  beyond 100% of fair market value of the  land that comprises the  easement area.

Q: Will  the Rock  Island  Clean Line transport wind  energy? Or will other fossil fuels be transmitted over the line?

A: The Rock Island Clean  Line starts in an area  of northwestern Iowa that  has some of the best wind energy  resources in the country. Wind  energy  is the energy  resource that makes economic sense  to  be developed and shipped  over  the  Rock Island Clean  Line.  There are other areas  around  the  country that  are  better suited  for the development of fossil fuel power  plants - areas  that would  not  require the developer to  pay the additional  expense for  transmission that  Clean  Line will charge  wind companies that choose to ship power  over our  line.

RICL is no different than “mine mouth” fossil fuel generation plants that burn fuel where it’s harvested and ship electricity via high voltage transmission lines to point of use.  This same centralized generation and transmission method has been in use for more than 100 years.  However, technologically advanced, small-scale, point of use generation, such as roof-top solar, is now revolutionizing the way we produce and use electricity and is seen by the utility industry as a “threat” to their longevity.  Clean Line is a dinosaur that may never be used.

Legally, transmission companies are  not allowed  by the  Federal  Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to  prohibit  certain  types of energy,  but as a practical  matter, wind energy  is the resource that  would  be economically advantaged  by a project like this.  It would  not make sense  to  build a fossil fuel power  plant a long distance  from a where the power  is needed, when  a developer could choose to  produce the electricity much closer to the energy  demand.

Fossil fuel generators have been building generation plants near fuel sources and shipping the electricity produced long distances to points of use for 100 years.  Clean Line would be no different.  If there is a cheaper way to produce electricity to be shipped via Clean Line, that is the kind of electricity that will flow across the lines.  It also does not make sense to produce electricity from wind in Iowa and ship it to the east coast, when the east coast has a better wind resource in the Atlantic, located just 12 miles from load centers!

Q: Did east coast governors write Congress a letter opposing the Rock  Island Clean Line?

A: No. In 2009, ten  eastern governors did write  a letter to  leaders  in Congress regarding renewable energy  development. The governors speak  to their support for  renewable energy and to their  opposition to  subsidies  for  transmission lines for  remote renewable resources.

That’s right!  And RICL is one of those remote renewable resources that depend on transmission lines that the governors opposed in their 2010 letter!  The letter opposed “..subsidizing distant terrestrial wind resources which would stifle economic recovery and growth in the East…” and perfectly describes RICL!  But there were actually TWO letters, one in 2009 and one in 2010.

The  proposal  referenced in their  letter for such subsidies was not  passed into  law. The letter is in fact fully supportive of projects like the Rock Island Clean  Line, as the  Rock Island Clean  Line is not  receiving any federal  subsidies.

In fact, the letters opposed projects like RICL. 

2009 letter  Read it for yourself.

2010 letter  Read it for yourself.

The governors' letter was written and sent  prior  to the  start of development of the  Rock Island Clean Line and does not  mention  the  Rock Island Clean  Line.  In the letter, the governors "support the development of wind resources for  the  United States  wherever they exist" and highlight their  desire for a level  playing field for  renewable energy development. The  Rock Island Clean  Line is consistent with that  level playing field for  which the governors advocate in their  letter.

RICL has taken great liberty with the above quote from the 2009 letter.  In its entirety, here’s what the quote said, which is the exact opposite of the meaning ascribed to it by RICL:

“Current legislative proposals focused on transmission, in contrast, would designate national corridors for transmission of electricity from the Midwest to the East Coast, with the costs for that transmission allocated to all customers. While we support the development of wind resources for the United States wherever they exist, this ratepayer-funded revenue guarantee for land-based wind and other generation resources in the Great Plains would have significant, negative consequences for our region: it would hinder our efforts to meet regional renewable energy goals with regional resources and would establish financial conditions in our electricity markets that would impede development of the vast wind resources onshore and just off our shores for decades to come.”

The truth is that “states farther east” do not want or need RICL.  If RICL is permitted by the ICC and built in Illinois, the landowners and ratepayers of Illinois may be stuck with an expensive, unneeded dinosaur!  Say no to RICL and its dishonest portrayal of facts.

Thanks for the earnings call fun today, FirstEnergy.  It gave Patience and I an excuse to dine on fancy sandwiches and cornichons, drink Raging Bitch, make certain hand gestures at the voices coming out of my laptop, and laugh at all the stupid things your NEOs said.  And a fun time was had by all... at least on this side of the internet connection!

"FirstEnergy's third quarter net income this year tumbled to about half of what it was a year ago," read the lead of The Plain Dealer's pre-call story.  I had to quickly whip up a side of schadenfreude to serve with lunch!

Tony the Trickster mentioned that, after recent closings, his "fleet" of generators is now about the same size as FirstEnergy's "fleet" was at the time it merged with and swallowed up the former Allegheny Energy.  This wouldn't be the first time I pondered if the merger's sole purpose was to carve up the Allegheny carcass, saving that which benefited FirstEnergy and tossing the rest on the rubbish heap.  When does the sale of troubled Allegheny distribution subs begin, now that FirstEnergy has accomplished its evil plan to raise cash by sucking the lifeblood out of Mon Power/Potomac Edison and leaving a dried up, debt-laden shell that no longer provides service to its customers?

It's all about Tony's "plan" to pull his ass out of the fire. It never was about serving customers, or any of that other dreck two of the WV PSC Commissioners wanted to believe.

Tony's next great plan is to plop his "spend" into regulated transmission investment accounts that earn risk-free, high returns.

This announcement turned the analysts on the call into curious monkeys who wanted to know all about tricky Tony's tantalizing transmission targets, but that wiley old geezer strung them along, talking about rebuilding lower voltage lines that don't require regulatory approval and said he would talk more about it at an upcoming EEI conference.  Tony also said that the company is primarily looking to "spend" inside its footprint and not looking for projects that have long lead times with respect to either approval processes or likely construction processes.  Because they learned their lesson with PATH? Someone's been paying attention in class!  But he forgot to tell them about FirstEnergy's proposal for a project to solve PJM's Artificial Island issues, and any lingering ratepayer-funded PATH assets that may still be kicking around.  Do you think the curious analysts were only pretending to be that clueless?

In response to a question about coal costs, Donny started talking about pulling his lever.  I'll spare you the hand gestures that instigated.  And before the laughter had died down, Tony started talking about the possibility of things being soft down the road...

I love my job.

In looking over my notes and talking to reporters and customers in the wake of the Potomac Edison/Mon Power General Investigation public comment hearings in Shepherdstown and Fairmont last week, it's hard not to notice that certain similarities keep popping up in unrelated customer stories.

1.    FirstEnergy's customer service center is rude, misinformed and unhelpful.

Representatives have told customers it is only required to read meters once a year, twice a year, or other incorrect intervals.

"I waited on the phone an hour and a half, like my time doesn't mean anything."  -- Customer Sonny Spurgeon in Shepherdstown

"We've been treated like trash!" -- Customer Richard Hamstead in Shepherdstown

"The term "customer" implies we have made a choice to purchase electricity from Potomac Edison.  We are not customers, we are ratepayers." -- Customer Patience Wait in Shepherdstown

"It is clear that FirstEnergy’s allegiance is to the almighty dollar, not its West Virginia customers." -- Customer Keryn Newman in Shepherdstown

"The PSC said I should have been arrested for stealing electricity."  -- Customer Sonny Spurgeon in Shepherdstown

"Seniors have been asked to read their own meters in horrible weather."  -- Maryland Potomac Edison Customer Doug Kaplan

"This company is no longer our local electric company and needs better public relations and communication with the public."  -- Berkely Co. Commissioner Elaine Mauck in Shepherdstown

Customer Amanda Newcome is outraged by Potomac Edison's customer service reps. who don't care, act like she doesn't have an issue, and don't want to help her.

Customer Mike Nemec has spent 30 minutes on the phone just trying to call in a meter reading.

Customer Lucinda Harden:  Tried to call Potomac Edison but got put on hold so long she gave up.  She can’t hold the phone that long.  In August, she tried to speak to "the complaint dept." but was told they have no complaint dept.  Talked with someone named Camille, who sent her to supervisor Kim, who was a "nasty lady."  Was told, "we're playing catch up in June" and in July she must have used more electricity than what was needed because they estimated off the month before.  She was transferred to Wendy from floor support, who put her on a payment plan so she could pay the bill.  Wendy wanted her to go read the meter, and she did, even though she is disabled and it was difficult to do.  They want her to read the meter every month from now on.  They sent her a detailed account history from July 2012 – July 2013, which only had 3 actual readings.  She has never seen a meter reader since Potomac Edison took over.

2.      It's not about the storms!

It is about a 5-letter word, but that word is "greed," not "storm." -- Customer Kery Fries in Shepherdstown

Storms are foreseeable, Potomac Edison should be adequately staffed to plan for them.

"It must be new if meter readers go out for downed wires.  I'm a volunteer fireman and I never saw a meter reader come for downed wires." -- Customer Kevin Borher in Shepherdstown

3.    FirstEnergy is not adequately staffed to provide customer service. 

"Most offensive is the suggestion from FE that customers should call in their meters.  It’s not the ratepayers job – it is built into the rates and billing that they will do their job.  I wonder whether there has been a business decision to keep meter readers at a low level and shift burden to ratepayers to save money.  In the grocery store we have a choice of full-serve or self-serve checkout.  Here we don’t have the choice.  Has there been an effort to change billing to save money for the company?" -- Delegate Stephen Skinner in Shepherdstown

Meter reading staff in Jefferson County cut to 5 after merger.

Todd Meyers says it takes 3 weeks to train a meter reader.  If meter readers are being used to restore power, what job are they doing? 

Potomac Edison has been hiring temporary meter readers.  Once the investigation goes away, will the temporary meter readers be let go?

Gene Hutzler has made numerous requests for the company to trim vegetation interfering with lines, but nothing has been done.

"FirstEnergy is a union-buster." -- Customer Danny Lutz in Shepherdstown

"It's not our job to read meters, it is our job to pay the bill!" -- Customer Meredith Wait in Shepherdstown

4.    FirstEnergy's customer usage data is hopelessly skewed due to numerous estimates and attempts to tweak the estimation routine that have caused even more inaccurate data.

"I have a bill with 5 consecutive estimates since April." -- Customer George Rutherford in Shepherdstown

"I'm getting two bills every month.  Something is wrong here." -- Customer Janet Jeffries in Shepherdstown

"8 out of 13 bills have been estimated – April, May, June were estimates.  February said no usage at all.  What does this do to future estimated readings when there is so many estimates?" -- Customer Sharon Wilson in Shepherdstown

5.    FirstEnergy's merger has hurt customers.

" A mistake on FirstEnergy’s part should not become an 'emergency' on our part. There’s no reason customers should be asked to put up with this kind of incompetence, especially when the company continually ties its excuses to merger activity. All of this has come at a great cost to customers.  Now it’s time for FirstEnergy to shoulder some of the financial burden it has created."  -- Customer Keryn Newman in Shepherdstown

"How can we set budgets for small businesses with these inconsistent bills?  This is hurting businesses." -- Customer Meredith Wait in Shepherdstown

"This is not a game, not a numbers problem, it’s a human problem.  People are suffering – you all go home to a warm house and a meal.  Think hard about it.  I'm tired of corporate crap – you need to care about people." -- Customer Laurie Scott in Shepherdstown

Walter & Gerri Seager of Damascus, Maryland, on their second home in Harmon, WV:  They have paid an electric bill every month for the past 14 months, most of which were estimated, and then about a month ago got a bill for more than $5,300.  They brought in 3 master electricians to make sure nothing is wrong in their house, and nothing is wrong.  The bill still averages more than $500/month for a home that is only used several days a month by 2 people and has non-electric heat and hot water.  Something is wrong at the electric company, not at the Seager's end.
 
There were numerous suggestions for the PSC:

1.    At company expense, read meters monthly for at least one year to gather accurate data for future estimates.  -- Customers Fries, Hamstead, Wait, Newman, Hutzler, Kaplan, Mauck, Rutherford, Skinner, Wilson, Nemec, and others.

2.    Privatize meter reading services so that failure to perform service does not produce financial benefit for FirstEnergy.  -- Customer Kery Fries in Shepherdstown

3.    $5.00 customer charge should be explained on every bill, and any amounts not used to read meters as required should be refunded to customers.

4.    PSC and Consumer Advocate must zealously guard against abuse by monopolies in West Virginia's regulated environment.

"There is no excuse for this kind of abuse of captive customers in a regulated environment." -- Customer Keryn Newman in Shepherdstown

5.    Require FirstEnergy to take actual readings for new customers for one year.  They should not be allowed to estimated based on prior customer usage.

6.    FirstEnergy should provide rebates to customers who read their own meters or go "paperless."  These customer actions currently save the company money, not the customers.

7.    Why don't we have smart meters?

"Why is it we still have horse & buggy meters?  Why not digital meters?  Why not smart meters?" -- Customer Duane Thompson in Shepherdstown

8.    Anyone calling Potomac Edison should receive a follow-up letter with a postage-paid return post card addressed to the PSC for rating the service received.

9.    The PSC should hold general public hearings in 4 different quadrants of the state yearly to hear from the public and improve communication and service.


At the hearing, the PSC shooed the customers with the most shocking stories to FirstEnergy's "customer service" area backstage.  I've been asked by a reporter if that was effective -- aside from the one gentleman who could be heard yelling from that area after he disappeared and was told by the police to stop harassing Potomac Edison personnel, and my own personal experience, I don't know.  If you visited the "customer service" reps. and have a story to tell, let me know.

Potomac Edison also had a story to tell the PSC, complete with Power Point presentation.

Ken Strah, the estimating guy, said they have adjusted their estimation algorithm to not perpetuate last year’s bad estimates, and implemented enhancements to the estimation process to better predict usage of estimated bills (but customer testimony proved that’s not working, as incorrect estimates continue).

Jim Painter, the meter reading guy, said the company will “focus on minimizing estimates” but snow will prevent them from reading meters (more excuses, YAY!)  They are still looking at their estimation routine with EPRI and should be done in December. 

Meanwhile, the company continues public outreach – "Call us!"  You need to call them to continue THEIR public outreach?  FirstEnergy advised everyone to get on their Average Payment Plan to smooth out the company’s estimation errors.

WV Operations Director Holly Kauffman says the company has shown “continuous improvement.”  She never said the word "merger" once, although that seems to be the source of all these problems.  Holly says she is committed to customers.  Where has Holly been?  Where was Holly at the Citizens' Public Hearing back in May?  She received her own personal invitation, which she completely ignored.  Holly is useless fluff.

FirstEnergy's corporate counsel, Gary Jack, pretended all this information from his company is completely fascinating.  Like he hadn't had a hand in putting the excuses together?  The funniest part -- his studious concentration was repeated on the second day!

The company claims that meter readers “investigate” outages and standby until crews arrive.  Has anyone ever see this happen?  I've driven by plenty of downed wires over the past couple of years and NEVER saw a meter reader onsite.

FirstEnergy says it has added a floater position for meter reading to deal with life's little realities.  Is that one for each operating company?

FirstEnergy admits that in December, 28% of customers had back-to-back estimates.  Complaints peaked in April and June of this year, but their PowerPoint graph still showed complaint numbers higher than "normal."

FirstEnergy said it "can’t rest on its laurels."  What???  What "laurels" would those be?

FirstEnergy says it will evaluate additional criteria to flag estimates that need review before bills are sent.  But you can call in actual meter readings on months scheduled for estimated readings or enter actual readings using the companies’ website (because they don't intend to do their job?)

I would like to know how these monthly statistical reports to the PSC help customers?  The company missed readings for a whole bunch of invented reasons – when are they just going to man up and apologize?

I think the PSC got an earful.  Let's hope they will now take the initiative to regulate FirstEnergy.

Trick or treat, Jimmy!  Is that your Halloween costume?

Clean Line Energy Partners' Jimmy Glotfelty came to Mendota dressed as a "farmer" tonight!

Who dressed Jimmy tonight?  Stupid, stupid, stupid!

The "chore coat" is a political campaign tactic intended to disguise a privileged, super-rich candidate who has never done an honest day's work and make him appear to be "a regular working guy."  The tactic became mainstream when used by unsuccessful presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.  Use of this political styling tactic has exploded recently, including use by Illinois gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Rauner.

Jimmy was seen in Mendota with Aaron Chambers, of the firm ThomsonWeir.  ThomsonWeir performs public relations services for their well-heeled corporate and political clients.  "We craft client-specific messages and tailor client communications outreach, whether through conventional news media or through new media tools, to engage and educate local audiences about client priorities." 

Aaron Chambers was found sitting alone way up high in the bleachers at Mendota High School, where he was furiously scribbling copious notes on every speaker who opposed RICL.  When one of his bleacher neighbors looked over his shoulder to see what he was writing, she saw him drawing diagrams that looked a lot like this:

Ah ha!  I think we've found the source of the "chore coat to make Jimmy more likable in Mendota" idea!

This really wasn't a good idea!  Why not just have Jimmy walk through the gym holding up a blinking neon sign that says "I think you all are STOO-PID!"?  Same effect.

I have to wonder... has Aaron watched the movie Promised Land recently?  In that movie, the carpetbagging corporate agents sent to a small town to purchase gas rights from unsuspecting "locals" make the farm store their first stop in town, where they load up on chore coats, boots, plaid shirts and khaki work pants in an attempt to "fit in." 

Do you think Jimmy or the other Clean Line executives pondered Aaron's advice before stopping by the farm supply store and picking up Jimmy's costume?  Did they really think this was a genius idea?  Or were the employees simply too afraid to speak up and tell Jimmy he was making a big, big mistake that would turn him into the laughing stock of rural Illinois?

This is what Jimmy normally looks like.  We think.  Of course, it's hard to tell who Jimmy REALLY is because he's always trying to be someone he's not.

Ha ha ha ha ha!  We're laughing with you, Jimmy, honest!

Pick up the phone.  Call toll free 1-877-579-6757 and tell Kansas Governor Sam Brownback that you do not want any of his Grain Belt Express wind here in "eastern states."  Do it now!

Why should you call Sam?  Because he supports construction of a 750-mile overhead high voltage electric transmission line across Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana intended to export wind-generated electricity from Kansas to "states farther east" and make those "states farther east" pay to construct and operate it.

None of these "states farther east" were consulted or asked if they wanted the electricity or the bill for this transmission line.  This project is pure speculation by a get-rich-quick company out of Texas, Clean Line Energy Partners.  Grain Belt Express wants to preclude the development of clean energy resources in "states farther east" and force you to buy imported "renewables" from Kansas.  This takes money out of your community and puts it in Sam's pocket!

Sam controls the Kansas Corporation Commission.  Kansans have been told "this is Sam's baby" and that it's a done deal.  The KCC staff has recommended that the Commissioners approve the project because they are considering the needs of "states farther east."  However, when citizens of those "states farther east" submitted comments to the KCC, the staff and Clean Line attorneys told the Commissioners to disregard those comments because they came from people who don't live in Kansas!

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is controlled by a handful of powerful economic interests in southwest Kansas who want to make money constructing thousands of wind turbines on their unproductive property, and Texas speculators who want to export their product across 750 miles of more productive land, and send the bill to "states farther east."

Tell Sam you don't want his hot air and that you're not paying for his pork barrel project!

Call 1-877-579-6757 or submit your comment online here.  Do it now!

Do you think Clean Line Energy Partners learned anything the last time they came to Mendota?  I hope so, because those Texans were like fish out of water.  Their over-the-top attempts to take over and control a public event that was intended for landowners affected by the company's project were not well-received.  In fact, they were downright destructive to Clean Line's public image.  It's impossible to get away with that kind of nonsense in "Mayberry," where everybody knows everybody else and many unnoticed eyes and ears are always collecting information.

Why is Clean Line so afraid to let affected landowners have their say?  It seems only fair that those asked to sacrifice for this company's project at least be allowed to speak publicly about their sacrifice, without restraint or interference from the company.

So, is Clean Line planning another round of underhanded shenanigans?  I hope not.  Any attempts to unfairly control the hearing will be exposed.  Clean Line should get over their idea that they're dealing with "a bunch of dumb farmers."

Here's a trio of tricks Clean Line should drop from its repertoire:

1.    Line jumping by signing up speakers who are not present.  Clean Line got publicly called out on this one last time, when its white-shirted schemers deployed individuals to sign the names of people who were not present to the speakers list, just to make sure they were "saved" a good spot in the line-up.  But that practice backfired... because of the aforementioned unseen eyes and ears.

See the woman in beige?  I have no idea what her name is, but I know it's not Theresa Hoover, Sales Manager of The Southwire Company.  But, there she is, in line right behind me to sign up to speak at the first Mendota hearing.  When this same woman was called to the microphone much earlier than me, I wondered if the hearing officer had somehow mixed up his list.  It all became clear when "Theresa Hoover" was called to speak after me, and no one responded.  Here's what happened next, according to the transcript:

Word is, there won't be a sign up at Monday's hearing.  I wonder if that is the ICC's way of preventing a repeat of this kind of bad behavior?

2.  The game of musical chairs intended to replace landowners in the auditorium with late-arrival, Clean Line-clad speakers in the lobby.

The ICC seems to have solved this by moving to a bigger room with adjustable seating.

3.    The "Supporter's Dinner" (because RICL only has ONE supporter, or because they don't know how to use apostrophes?)  Offers of free food and t-shirts, reimbursement for transportation costs, or just plain old offers to pay someone to speak on your behalf will be interpreted as paid-for, biased testimony and ARE NOT FAIR OR ACCEPTABLE.

I wonder how embarrassing it would be if a spy attended the "supporter's dinner" and then turned right around and testified all about Clean Line's "secret" shenanigans to drum up paid speakers on its behalf afterwards?  Just don't do it, Clean Line, and save yourself a whole lot of embarrassment, okay?

I do wonder why Clean Line cannot fairly rest upon the merits of its project, and finds it necessary to resort to tricks and deceitfulness in an attempt to hoodwink the ICC to approve of its project?  Maybe RICL isn't such a good project after all.  Think about it.

I said it out loud the other night in Shepherdstown, but it bears repeating:  FirstEnergy and the West Virginia Public Service Commission ought to be ashamed of themselves!

Regulated and regulator have joined together to expend quite a bit of time and money on a farcical series of "public comment hearings" that turned out to be nothing but publicity stunts attempting to mollify unhappy customers, convince them that the company did nothing wrong, and that all the problems have been solved.  I'd expect nothing less from FirstEnergy, but I really expected more from the West Virginia Public Service Commission.

Fortunately, our legislature has our back this time and has opened their own investigation of the PSC's investigation.  Be sure to let your legislator know how unhappy you are with the PSC's behavior and media spin at the hearings.

The problems began with the PSC's announcement that FirstEnergy would be making a presentation at the beginning of what was inaccurately described as a PUBLIC comment hearing.  FirstEnergy isn't "the public," and we're sick and tired of hearing their spin.  We all know the story by heart now... Storms, 30% Colder, and Renumbering, Oh My!

In addition, the PSC "ordered" FirstEnergy to issue a press release about the meetings to the media.  FirstEnergy did it in such a way that nobody paid any attention and made sure there would be no advance notice of the hearings in the media.  None of the media I contacted knew anything about the hearings.  That's funny, when everybody in the area can recite FirstEnergy's billing excuses from memory.  The company didn't seem to have any trouble making sure that message got out to the media.

To top it all off, many who attended in Shepherdstown complained that, in addition to plain old lack of timely notice, the hearings were scheduled at hours inconvenient to the Eastern Panhandle's commuting population.  An evening hearing beginning at 5:30 was much too early, when at least 50% of the residents face at least an hour (or more, sometimes lots more!) commute back home after getting off at 5:00.  Since it was unknown how long the hearing would last, many simply didn't make the effort to come all the way to Shepherdstown to find out if it was still going on when they finally got back to West Virginia.

And then let's think about the PSC's order that FirstEnergy bring along a crew of customer service reps.  Why do you suppose that was?  It was so the PSC would have a fictional happy place to pass off the sadder stories they would undoubtedly have to endure at these hearings.  It makes them look like they care and that they have "helped" people.  Maybe it even makes them feel that way too, even if it isn't true.  The craziest moment of Shepherdstown's two hearings may have been when Chairman Albert went right on advising a disabled vet to visit the nice company reps in the other room to make things all better, while someone who went to Happy Town before her could be heard yelling "I don't want any more of your excuses!" while police ran through the auditorium to break it up.  Chairman Albert didn't miss a beat.  Was everyone holding hands and singing Kumbaya backstage in the customer service area?  Nope, but that's another post.

Can we also ponder the timing of these "public comment hearings" in the grand scheme of the investigation?  Why did the Commission feel it was necessary to put the public input part of this investigation off for 4 months after opening the investigation?  It was because it was hoping that the public would lose interest while lower summer and fall usage made it appear that the company had "solved" the problem.

Of course, the media can't be entirely blameless here either.  The sad state of our media is readily apparent when reviewing "news" from the hearings.  Young reporters who are pushed to produce quantity over quality choose to take the pre-packaged story presented to them by spinners like Toad Meyers and Susan Small, even when it doesn't correlate to what the reporter can see and hear for herself.  Much of the news to come out of the supposed "public comment" hearings was focused on the actions of the company or the PSC, instead of the actual public they were intended to hear from.  Reporters weren't interested in hearing from the public, they were satisfied with the PSC and FirstEnergy's interpretation of why the public was unhappy. 

Only the experienced WV Public Broadcasting reporter produced an accurate, unbiased story.  The rest of the reporters were just wasting our time.

The sole bright spot in this debacle was watching FirstEnergy spinner Toad Meyers become increasingly unglued as the questions got harder.  The quotes attributed to him went from bad to worse. 

“There may be a little bit less meter readers .."

For a little bit less accuracy?  Ya know how I know you're making crap up, Toad?  Because it's a grammatical disaster!

“We’re trying to improve the estimation, the logarithm, the routine so we can get a more accurate estimate.”

If FirstEnergy doesn't understand the difference between a logarithm and an algorithm, its no wonder they're having so many problems estimating peoples' bills!

“One thing that I’ve got to stress that is very important, everyone’s situation with electricity is unique, with their properties, with their usage. So if people have a question they need to call us directly and work with us.”

What does uniqueness have to do with it being important to contact the company (instead of The Coalition for Reliable Power perhaps?)  Logic fail!

Mon Power Spokesman Todd Meyers said it all started with the derecho.

No, it all started with the costly Allegheny Energy/FirstEnergy merger in 2011.  The company needed to find a way to pay for that, and cutting services for customers produced "merger synergies."

Meyers acknowledged that meter reading has declined, explaining that about seven percent of meters were being read every other month, a number that fell to two and a half percent.

Let's take a moment to examine Toad's Magic Math.  Seven percent of meters are being read every other month.  This means that 93% of meters are NOT being read every other month.  This statistic lines up with the results of our own customer survey, where 89 of 92 customers said their meter had not been read every other month as required by the tariff.  But why would Toad brag about this stunning lack of performance?  Why, Toad, why?

Meyers said the next step after the hearings will involve the PSC looking at the transcripts from the hearings and sending reports to Mon Power and Potomac Edison..."

Who's in charge here?  Mon Power and Potomac Edison or the PSC, compiler and sender of "reports" for the company's use?

"Between the storms, between the renumbering, something that we instituted to make the process better but in the short run it actually made some things worse. You had a string of estimates, and that could result at the end where we came out to read a meter in a larger than expected actual bill," said Todd Meyers.

Wow, Toad!  That's a very impressive string of senseless babble.  It's practically incoherent.  You should get a nice bonus for that one!

"Our belief is that we're able to do it every other month, it's worked well doing that except for more recently but i think we're going back to the place where it worked pretty well," said Todd Meyers, Potomac Edison's spokesman.

Again, incoherent babble that would make an English teacher cringe, but let's try to translate.  Toad believes that if they "do it" every other month it works well.  Except that they didn't "do it" every other month.  So, it didn't work well.  Toad thinks that maybe they might be going back to "doing it" every other month, so maybe it's going to work "pretty well."  Except, it's not. 

"Believe me, we want to make this right, we want to fix this and we worked very diligently to do that and we continue to work, and anything that comes out of this investigation, anything that the PSC prescribes is something that would be good to do going forward, you know, we'll be doing that," said Meyers. 

I'm sorry, I'm not buying this fake concern.  Is there anybody who thinks Toad is sincere?  "Believe me?"  Hahaahahaaaaa!  After all these years of pissing on the public's leg and telling them it's raining, now Toad wants us to "believe" him?  FirstEnergy has steadfastly denied there is a problem to be fixed, and has only "worked very diligently" to cover up the company's culpability.  I am thrilled to know that "we" will be following any orders of the PSC though.  Nice touch!  But, the company already admits it has not complied with its PSC-ordered tariff, so we'll assume it will afford equal deference to whatever the PSC "prescribes."  (I would order a big ol' dose of sodium pentothal).

However, they don't think they'll be able to do a meter reading every month because of staffing.

I guess it's going to cost your company some money to hire enough staff then, Toad.  Duh.  That's part of the penalty to "make things right."

Moving forward, Potomac Energy officials say they'll do what's best for the customer.

Because the company has been doing what's best for the company up until this point?

Poor, idiotic Toad Meyers.  But, at least he was only attempting to represent his company.  The PSC's spinner, Susan Small, was attempting to tell the media what the public was thinking.  Susan has no idea what the problem is here, much less what the Commission will do about it.  Susan blew off the Citizens' Public Hearing in Charles Town in May, sending a letter of excuses for the company, instead of a staff member.  Susan has a lot on her plate, and that's a shame, but if she can't do her job because of it, then she needs to step down.  When asked why she couldn't be bothered to do any public relations to promote these public hearings in the media, Susan hid behind the requirement that they be advertised in the legal section of the local paper as "adequate notice" to the public.  When asked about the purpose of the press release FirstEnergy was ordered to produce, I don't remember her having much of an answer.  Let's take a look at Susan's attempts to frame a problem she knows nothing about (and probably cares about even less):

“My bill is inconsistent, I’m getting estimated bills instead of actual bills,” are the most common complaints the PSC has heard, Small said.

“Between weather situations and the way that they changed their billing processes, many customers have received two, three, four, five estimated bills in a row,” Small said. “And unfortunately, a lot of those estimates have been very low, so when the true-up bill comes, all of a sudden, it’s much higher than the customer’s expecting.”

“That’s what we’re working on now. One of the things they (the customer) can do is call the company and make sure that it’s an actual reading, that that’s actually what they owe, and if it’s more than they can handle right off, work out a deferred payment plan, sort of putting your arrearage on a budget plan so that you can pay it off over a number of months,” according to Small.

Small added FirstEnergy, the parent corporation of both companies, is being required to submit customer service metrics to the PSC on a monthly basis, but they also want to hear from the customers.

"They ordered the companies to file specific customer service metrics so we can keep track of things like calls into the call center, whether or not people are being satisfied with the first call, how long they're having to wait on the phone," said PSC spokesperson, Susan Small.

"It wouldn't be unreasonable in this kind of case for the commission to issue a final order that required first energy to keep up the flow of data coming into the commission so we can make sure that their customer service numbers are where they should be and the customer is getting the service they deserve," said Small.

I'm sure those customer service metrics are going to come in handy to keep people warm this winter when they can't pay their badly estimated bills.  Maybe Susan intends for you to roll them up into paper logs and burn them to keep warm?

Thanks for the "help," Susan.  I'll be handing out YOUR phone number to people who can't pay their bills this winter, instead of the phone number of my little friend at the customer call center.  Too bad Susan isn't proactive enough to provide advice on how to prevent those large bills from ever happening in the first place, so that no one ever has to "pay their bill off over a number of months," because then we wouldn't need to hand out anyone's phone number.

This story is an absolute mess.

This story doesn't even mention the PSC's involvement.

Maybe Susan should have been doing her job all along, instead of trying to simply make it LOOK like she's been working by jumping in front of every TV camera that showed up at the hearings.

So, let's review.  The PSC set this up to make itself simply appear to be taking action.  The purpose and timing of the hearings was carefully planned to make sure most people could or would not attend.  Despite a steady turn out of articulate, credible "public" with compelling and shocking stories that painted FirstEnergy's incompetence and greed as bordering on criminal, the story that was spun for the media is that the problems are fixed and everyone is happy. 

The West Virginia Public Service Commission continues to fail the public it is tasked with protecting from utility monopolies.  Tell your elected officials that we need to make changes at the PSC until the needs of the public are being served.

Customer Sharon Wilson was one of many this morning who refused to be silenced by FirstEnergy corporate counsel's stink eye.  I think he needs to practice that look in front of the mirror some more.  It doesn't work.

FirstEnergy faced off with ratepayers in Shepherdstown at two public comment hearings in as many days.  Despite the plaintive wail coming from a march of malcontents, the company, the PSC and some media outlets continue to cling to their fantasy that things are getting better.  They're not, of course, but FirstEnergy persists in denying any wrongdoing, while continuing to make excuses for the reprehensible way it has treated its meal ticket, err.... "customers."

The PSC and the company, working in tandem, quelled their fright of the Eastern Panhandle by scheduling the hearings for hours inconvenient for the area's DC-communting population, and refusing to undertake any effort to give the public adequate notice of the hearings. 

No matter -- the company was still resoundingly spanked by a determined group of unhappy customers who came to tell their stories.  Those who made the effort to speak out in Shepherdstown included a single mom who had to choose between feeding her child or having heat due to outrageous Potomac Edison bills, and a retired couple who received a bill from Mon Power for their West Virginia second home that totaled more than $5,000.  Many more came before the Commission and though their personal stories were varied, all those who spoke asked that the company be ordered to read every meter every month for a period of one year in order to develop accurate usage data on which to base future estimates.

The public also resoundingly agreed that FirstEnergy's presentation of continued excuses was... crap!  The only ones who seemed to enjoy it were the media and FirstEnergy's lawyer, who listened raptly to the exact same presentation with a pseudo-fascinated concentration... twice.

In the face of all its misdeeds being publicly exposed by customer after customer, FirstEnergy continued to make excuses and deny that there is a problem.  FirstEnergy steadfastly refuses to admit its failings, issue a credible apology, and make amends for the injury it has caused to its captive customers.

Disgusting.

Customers of FirstEnergy subsidiaries Mon Power and Potomac Edison came away with useful information from last night's customer education meetings in Morgantown and Charles Town.  Another meeting will be held tonight in Arnoldsburg.  The meetings, hosted by the Coalition for Reliable Power and affiliated organizations The Mountain Institute and the Jefferson County NAACP, provided advice and suggestions for how customers can protect themselves from paying badly estimated electric bills that snowball out of control this winter.

The Coalition recommends that customers learn how to read their meters and take a reading as soon as possible after receiving their monthly bill.  If the billed usage varies from the recorded usage by more than 100kwh, the customer is urged to call the company at 1-800-686-0011 to provide an actual reading and request a re-billing.

Customers were also surprised to learn of a $5.00 flat monthly charge per customer included in the "base charge" line item of their bill.  This "customer charge" pays for meter readers, billing, distribution system maintenance and other fixed costs.  However, if the company doesn't spend the full amount every month, whatever is left goes into the utility's pocket as extra profit!  Potomac Edison and Mon Power never have to account for how that $5.00 is spent, therefore they may trim expenses, such as cutting their meter reading staff or failing to perform right-of-way or line maintenance, in order to pocket the difference.  These FirstEnergy companies serve approximately 500,000 customers in West Virginia.  Half a million customers x $5.00 every month equals $2.5M paid to FirstEnergy every single month.  Whatever the company doesn't spend on services for us is theirs to keep.

Customers were also upset to learn how much the recently approved Harrison Power Station purchase is going to cost them.  More than $800M must be repaid to the company over the next 27 years, plus an additional $240M for needed pollution control upgrades.  Customers don't feel that they are being adequately protected by the WV Public Service Commission or the WV Consumer Advocate.  Who's looking out for residential ratepayers?  The meeting attendees think C4RP and its partner groups are doing a better job than appointed officials!

The Coalition was joined by Senator Herb Snyder last night in urging customers to attend the WV Public Service Commission Public Comment Hearings next week to tell their stories.  The PSC needs the help of every customer who has been affected by the company's shoddy business practices to provide evidence by telling their story.  Only if enough of us step up to tell our stories and corroborate each other will the PSC have the evidence it needs to properly punish the company for its deliberate injury to customers, as well as to order remedies to get things back on an even keel.  The Coalition is recommending that customers request that the PSC require the company, at its own expense, to read every meter, every month, for one year in order to develop accurate base line data for future estimates.

The Public Service Commission Public Comment Hearings will be held:

October 23, 2013       5:30 p.m.    Shepherd University Frank Center, Shepherdstown, WV
October 24, 2013       9:30 a.m.    Shepherd University Frank Center, Shepherdstown, WV
October 24, 2013       5:30 p.m.    West Chester Village, Stafford Room, Fairmont, WV
October 25, 2013       9:30 a.m.    West Chester Village, Stafford Room, Fairmont, WV

You must sign up with the WV PSC clerk in the lobby in order to make a comment to the Commissioners.  Comments may be limited in length, depending on the number of commenters who show up, so that everyone gets a chance to speak.  Commenters should not expect to engage in dialogue with the Commissioners or the company.  You may provide your comments without receiving feedback.  The PSC has ordered that the first 30 to 60 minutes of the hearing will consist of the company discussing:  the circumstances that gave rise to the current customer meter reading and billing problems; how the merger and severe storms in 2012 affected customer meter reading and billing; changes implemented to improve customer meter reading and billing; planned changes to improve customer meter reading and billing; and services available to customers continuing to experience meter reading and billing problems.  If you arrive a little late and miss FirstEnergy's infomercial of excuses, that's okay.  The hearing will continue as long as people continue to arrive and sign up to speak.

In addition, the PSC has ordered that the company arrange for its representative(s) to have access to customer records at each hearing and be available to speak with customers individually after the completion of public comment.  So, if you have a question about your bill(s), bring it along and get in line to talk to a representative.  There's no guarantee that  your in-person wait will be quicker or marginally more pleasant than the endless hold queue you are routinely placed in over the phone, but hopefully it will be a lot harder for those customer service representatives to be snotty and unpleasant when they are face-to-face with real people.  It's nice for the PSC to provide the company's staff with this little reminder that they are supposed to serve real people, so let's all do our part to help them cast this production.

And remember -- tell the PSC -- EVERY METER, EVERY MONTH!

Cross posted from The Coalition from Reliable Power Blog.  If you have questions or need additional information, email The Coalition.

Dear EUCI,

I've come across another one of your conference agendas recently.  After drying my tears of laughter, I shared it with my friends in "Mayberry."  They are not impressed.  In fact, you could call them downright miffed at your arrogant, condescending and inaccurate attempt to pretend you understand them, their communities, and their lifestyles.  How dare you!?!

The cause of the current consternation is your 8th Annual Public Participation for Transmission Siting conference.  While this conference has historically been an annual source of amusement to transmission opposition leadership, this time you've gone too far.

Perhaps all that crisp, green sponsorship gets in the way of your better judgement, but should you take a few moments to reflect on the veracity of your conference speakers, as well as the accuracy and effectiveness of their presented material, you might find something amiss.

Keynote speaker Jimmy Glotfelty's presentation is touted as:

Jimmy Glotfelty?  The same Jimmy Glotfelty with the orange shirts and bribe money?  The same Jimmy Glotfelty who had to be told by the police to stop harassing high school students and offering them money to testify in favor of his project?  That Jimmy Glotfelty??  We've heard of him.

First of all, we don't believe that Jimmy has successfully developed any transmission projects during his "career."  We consider him a wanna be.  Secondly, we wonder if Jimmy will be giving away orange t-shirts, hamburgers, gas money and rides to the conference to demonstrate how he "overcomes" challenges?  Jimmy's deliberate, completely avoidable, behavior at a recent Illinois Commerce Commission Public Hearing was reprehensible and probably did more damage to Clean Line Energy's public and regulatory image than any number of truly unavoidable challenges ever could.  We fear that if other transmission developers begin to adopt Jimmy's methods, transmission building is going to come to a screeching halt and the lights are going to go out.  Jimmy should be considered transmission's public enemy #1.

Next, we'd like to discuss your burgeoning interest in social media.  Just so you know, social media allows the public to express opinions that drive rejection or acceptance of an idea or proposal.

Did you even bother to look at Clean Line Energy's Facebook real estate before agreeing to this presenter's version of social media mastery?  Probably not, because Clean Line Energy no longer has any Facebook properties!  Clean Line shut them down because real people kept getting in and posting their honest thoughts and opinions that Clean Line couldn't control. Clean Line also likely discovered that Facebook is just a little too transparent, exposing a lack of public support for its proposals.  Keeping an army of sycophantic sock puppets active on numerous Facebook properties can be just so tedious.  It seems to us that Clean Line itself has plenty to "understand" about social media, before it is qualified to teach others.

Let's address the elephant in the room now, shall we?  It's the real reason for your educational conference and unhealthy fascination with us.  It's what makes us rock stars.  You are clueless about our formation, hierarchy, motivation and determination.  Sun Tzu once said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”  He'd be a great speaker for your conference, if he wasn't dead and all.  Maybe you can buy his book?  I hear it's a real page-turner.

So, you want to develop our relationship with attempts to be clever using outdated, supercilious names constructed from your industry's weird obsession with acronyms?  I'm truly hurt, EUCI.  As if labeling us as members of unacceptable groups would somehow help you develop a better understanding of us, one that will allow you to "handle" us all the way to permit denial?

Do tell how assigning people to silly fruit acronym name groups, and then disparaging them, accomplishes effective public participation in transmission siting?  Where we come from, that's just not polite, and won't win you any cooperation from the fruitbowl.  It's actually sort of insulting.  We don't really get it, but have been considering giving you all a fruity name of your own, and would like to know the rules of the game.  We've already come up with MIMPSY (Money In My Pocket, Screw You) to describe you, but fear it might not be quite fruity enough? 

As I'm sure you've heard, our favorite activity is holding bake sales.  If you ever find yourself overrun with overripe bananas, I'd be happy to share my kick-ass recipe for banana bread with you.  There's just so many things you can make from the clever and versatile banana!  Maybe you could hold your own bake sale, instead of a training conference, to raise cash!  Do let us know EUCI.  We'd be happy to fly to Houston to buy your cupcakes!

I do wonder though, since this is an educational workshop, what experience your instructor has organizing or strategizing with community-based opposition groups?  My guess would be none.  Last time I looked, SCE got it's butt kicked in Chino Hills.  The power companies are usually the ones on the outside of our groups, desperately trying to see inside.  You all have NO IDEA how sophisticated our organization and strategy has become... and that's the way we like it.  Expect the unexpected, transmission developers!

And if being called a fruit isn't insulting enough to "the public," you further besmirch us as "Mayberry" in your "Marketing to Mayberry" segment.

If this wasn't so blatantly insulting, it might be fun to sit through.  What do you do, run the movie Promised Land and hand out Matt Damon masks?  Or maybe you simply try to teach these jerks some honesty and humility?  It's really not that difficult to communicate with "Mayberry."  What is difficult is getting away with lies and bad behavior in small towns, right, Jimmy?  Right, Clean Line?

You've simply outdone yourself this year, EUCI!  Since your conferences are fully accredited for continuing education credits by the International Association for Continuing Education & Training, we'll assume there must be some educational standards your conference content is required to meet.  We're concerned that you may be risking your certification and credibility by promoting professional failure as a "successful" best practice!  It's because we worry about your reputation that we'd like to help you out, EUCI.  We believe we could provide valuable assistance with this conference activity:

We graciously offer to provide a cast of crack "actors" to play the parts of the community, land owners, stake holders and public officials at your mock open house. We've been mocking these guys at their open houses for years, so we're quite experienced!  We feel this will add just the right touch of hard-to-replicate realism to the exercise and will guarantee a tangible, useful, hands-on education for your conference participants.  And, besides, nothing says fun like ignorant country bumpkins bearing torches and pitchforks!  They're just so unpredictable!

In all seriousness, EUCI, we're not sure how you're going to educate transmission developers to succeed when your teachers have failed the subjects they are attempting to teach.  You'd do much better with instructors from the community groups you are targeting for attendance.  But then again, why would we give away our secrets?  They're working so well to alter, delay, and cancel unneeded transmission projects.  We have made you our bit*subservient groupie*ch.  When we have our annual continuing education get-togethers, you're probably not going to be invited.  Sorry.

Best Regards,

America's Transmission Opposition
Bigger, Badder, Scarier
and Smarter... oh, so much smarter than you give us credit for...