A New Power Plant in Ely?

The Sierra Pacific Power Co. and Nevada Power plan to build a 1,500-megawatt, coal-fired power plant near Ely, 215 miles north of Las Vegas. They also want to build transmission lines to get that power to the state’s major population centers.

The state Public Utilities Commission launched hearings on the plan Tuesday.

LS Power, a New Jersey-based independent power company that plans to build its own, similar power plant, and a consortium of environmental groups organized under the banner “Nevadans for Clean Affordable Reliable Energy,” sought to provide testimony at those hearings.

PUC Chairman Don Soderberg is allowing LS Power to participate in the hearing on the transmission line, but ruled the firm will be barred from presenting testimony about the power plant. Mr. Soderberg has also restricted participation by the environmental groups.

Those groups – the Nevada Conservation League, the Progressive Leadership Alliance, Western Resource Advocates, Citizen Alert and the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project – will be allowed to participate in discussions of the utilities’ plan to comply with state minimums for renewable resources and energy efficiency programs, but do not qualify for more general participation because the attorney general’s Bureau of Consumer Protection “is charged with the duty to protect their interests,” Mr. Soderberg ruled.

Yeah. And the American colonists’ interests were represented in Parliament – by British members who wouldn’t have been able to tell a skunk from a succotash.

Meantime, Mr. Soderberg will allow full participation by MGM- Mirage resorts, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and the Nevada Resort Association, the major casino trade group.

It begins to sound like Mr. Soderberg has stacked the gallery with establishment cheerleaders. If there are going to be hearings, even the obstructionists and would-be competitors should be given a fair chance to get their points on the record – though certainly the chairman has every right to place reasonable time limits to prevent mere filibustering.

Which is not to say that the stance of many of these “greens” isn’t hilarious.

Yes, we realize they were seeking initials that would spell out “CARE.” But if they really want “affordable” energy (with the side benefit of reducing our dependence on Arab kleptocrats), these characters should be cheering every attempt to burn more American coal – which also burns a lot cleaner with today’s technologies than ever before.

And if they want “clean, reliable energy” – the rest of their acronym – we eagerly look forward to their demand that the PUC license these same utilities to build many new nuclear power plants as soon as possible.

Many of these huddles of Luddites would be the first to shriek if a shortfall of generating capacity led to higher prices for rationed electricity, or to massive summer power outages that would quickly claim the lives of many among the sick, the weak and the elderly.

If solar power and windmills and geothermal were “reliable” and “affordable,” political muscle wouldn’t be required to persuade the Legislature to mandate arbitrary goals for their costly use.

Because many of these greens despise coal for being too “dirty,” nuclear for being too “dangerous,” oil and natural gas for being too “expensive” – yet will sue at the drop of the hat should commercial windmills kill birds or interfere with TV reception – perhaps they could better name their umbrella group “Nevadans for Not Much Energy At All.” Their T-shirts could depict tourists holding candles as they stand in the middle of the abandoned Las Vegas Strip at midnight, gazing up in amazement at the darkened silhouettes of our once-sparkling gambling halls.

Despite which, the PUC should err on the side of inclusiveness. Silly arguments are better heard and refuted than ignored. And sometimes even a blind pig can turn up an acorn.

Let them speak.

(c) 2006 Las Vegas Review – Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.