Bush Backs (3 year) Delay of Transmission Standard

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=716&e=2&u=/ap/20030817/ap_on_re_us/abraham_power

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration supports a three-year delay in a controversial proposal that its supporters claim would make it easier to run the nation's electrical system, the president's top energy adviser said Sunday.

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said the proposal would "force down the throats" a federal policy of deregulation that states with cheap power oppose.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (news - web sites) proposal would establish national standards for managing the flow of electricity through regional transmission organizations. It also would establish some new rules on access to transmission lines.

Abraham said many states don't want the federal government telling them how to run their electrical systems.

more

[aquart]

1. Bush against deregulation?

What am I missing here?

[leesa]

3. Just trying to avoid being smacked on the fanny for the electrical grid

failure. I suspect he wasn't opposed to it until after the PR people decided it didn't look good post-massive black out.

[htuttle]

4. They want deregulation on their terms

Here's the thing they don't want to swallow:

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (news - web sites) proposal would establish national standards for managing the flow of electricity through regional transmission organizations. It also would establish some new rules on access to transmission lines.

Right now, there are no standards whatsoever. Everything is voluntary. There is also absolutely no oversight.

As I'm understanding it, This bill, while in one sense making it easier to transfer electricity between regions, would also create standards and provide oversight (well, FERC 'oversight') on these transactions.

So, the reason that Bush says he's against it isn't the real reason he's against it. His industry 'pioneers' would apparently rather have fewer, completely unregulated and anonymous trades of electricity than more, regulated and overseen transactions.

I think.

[sandnsea]

5. Alternative Energy and local monpolies

Deregulated power would allow wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources into the energy market. A deregulated transmission line would mean wind farms in Kansas could transmit power to wherever that FirstEnergy company is. Old power plants would have to compete with cleaner energy sources and eventually be forced to clean up or close down. This is what Richardson was trying to accomplish with his deregulation proposal.

Then there might not be as much of a need to build the 50 nuclear power plants the Energy Bill calls for.

And what htuttle said.

I still don't know what the real solution is with power, but this Energy Bill is HUGE and something every American probably needs to understand in great detail. And there was alot of debate and amendments back in May, but there was a war or Laci or something more important than the future of power generation in our country.

[Old and In the Way]

2. I asume that would be Western States with no people.

My only question is why isn't Spencer Abraham in jail? This war on America has to stop.

How absurd is this statement? "Abraham said many states don't want the federal government telling them how to run their electrical systems. "

Since electrical power is interstate commerce, this is specifically why it is in the federal domain to regulate and balance the needs between producers and users.

[Fridays Child]

6. Bush and Abraham are calling RE-regulation by the name of...

...DE-regulation. What bullshit. They know damn good and well that they're trying to delay the return of some common sense regulations to the energy industry.