When going green means giving green

JEFFERSON CITY | Some Missouri residents and businesses soon could see a new charge on their electric bills — a fee for using less energy.

Though it might seem illogical, the new energy efficiency charge has support from utilities, most lawmakers, the governor, environmentalists and even the state’s official utility consumer advocate. The charge covers the cost of utilities’ efforts to promote energy efficiency and cut power use.

Well, there you have it. If kleptocratic pols, environmentalists and bureaucrats are all lined up to charge you more for using less, then it must represent the height of logic.

Usually, regulators allow utilities to recoup the cost of building power plants or buying more power to meet customer demand. Recently, the Missouri Public Service Commission began allowing some utilities to pass along to customers the cost of programs that reduce demand for electricity.

For example, the commission last week approved a program in which St. Louis-based AmerenUE can offer credits to businesses that voluntarily shut down or scale back their electricity use during peak demand. AmerenUE will be able to recoup the cost for the program that starts Thursday by increasing the rates it charges business customers.

We are all familiar with the concept of businesses passing along the cost of doing business to their consumers but that’s usually reserved for situations when there is an increase in the cost of that particular business-doing. This is the first instance we can recall where the government has allowed a private entity, the public utilities in this case, to charge their customers more because the customers were using less of what the utilities were providing. And this is permitted because the government needs their cut of the action, as well.

Kansas City Power & Light Co. already has 19 energy efficiency and demand-reduction programs, said Chuck Caisley, the company’s senior director of public affairs. He said the Public Service Commission is allowing the company to recoup up to $50 million of the programs’ costs under a rate plan in effect through 2010.

One of the company’s more popular energy-saving initiatives has provided free programmable thermostats to about 34,000 residential customers in Missouri and Kansas. KCP&L can remotely control the devices to reduce the frequency at which air conditioners run during peak demand times. The power company overrode customers’ air conditioners four times last year and twice so far this summer, Caisley said.

We have no earthly clue as to why this bit of mechano-totalitarianism would be “popular” unless the citizens of Missouri and Kansas have completely lost their minds… or somebody is lying. California has toyed with this idea for years now and it should be vigorously opposed on principle alone.

At the end of the day, what we see here is emblematic of Bailout Nation. When the government’s desires become so closely intertwined with private decision-making, you achieve a reality where good behavior is punished and bad behavior is rewarded. Becoming energy-independent may be a great idea for our nation, but your government would like you to know that it frowns upon any ideas you may have for your household in doing the same.

H/T: Secular Apostate

Newt's Triangle Offense

If you haven’t seen it, here is the ad for Al Gore’s group that has Newt Gingrich sitting down with Nancy Pelosi making nice over Global Warming/Climate Change (which from here on out will be referred to as “GW/CC”).



But at Newt’s website he appears to be singing a different tune:
“I completely understand why many of you would have questions about this, so I want to take this opportunity to explain my reasons. First of all, I want to be clear: I don't think that we have conclusive proof of global warming. And I don't think we have conclusive proof that humans are at the center of it.”

So what gives? As far as we can surmise, this is just Newt’s way of a well-intended and good faith effort to alter the course of a run-a-way freight train. Yeah, exactly. But at least he’ll always be able to claim he made an honest effort to get the true believers to at least acknowledge market-based green technological solutions and “way-aheads”.

We remain suspect, though. If he is truly skeptical of the GW/CC conventional wisdom then his stunt with the ad is disingenuous… and for a man for which we have a tremendous amount of respect, we wish he wouldn’t triangulate in this manner and simply, as WFB exhorted, stand athwart history and yell “stop”.

So why does it seem that GW/CC seems to attract the greatest amount of grandstanding? Why the headlong rush to get out in front of the GW/CC PR wave. It is because of this: GW/CC is the single largest issue out there where an abundance of activity can be hustled and bustled about without having any actual measurable consequences and which is completely risk-free AND which comes with it, free of charge, the advantage of the self-stroking that is part and parcel for “doing something” about GW/CC.

Well, there ARE measurables and there ARE consequences but those are highly deflectable. High food and fuel prices? Don’t blame ethanol – blame India and China’s huge and growing populations. Global Warming continues to rise and/or Climate Change becomes more volatile? Obviously, you are not doing enough or not pulling your share. Global warming subsides? See… we knew what we were doing all along.

After all, if you think coupling human activity to GW/CC is a dubious enterprise, then attempting to measure the positive benefits to GW/CC from “going green” becomes a mathematical impossibility.

What is there not too like about all that? How is this not a powerful elixir for politicians and celebrity activists alike?

Its too bad that one of the sharpest minds out there has apparently decided to start slugging back the pink liquid.

H/T: American Thinker