Turned off
www.pressdemocrat.com 21 March 2012
Why our county officials would want to get into the power supply business can probably be answered by their apparent dedication to the pursuit of California’s climate change law, AB 32, which mandates a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020, to be partially achieved by forcing utilities to use more solar and wind power (“Survey: locals want affordable, reliable power,” Editorial, Sunday).
It is a well-established fact that electrical power generated by solar and wind is many times more expensive than that generated by carbon-based fuels. Only with substantial subsidies can it be justified, and these subsidies, even now, are beginning to show up in our bills.
The county has no power distribution system, no staff familiar with operating one and would appear to be a poor candidate to take over supplying existing customers with reliable, affordable power. If the county wants to help ratepayers, it should confer with PG&E to ensure that some of the savings PG&E should be enjoying from the recent increase in natural gas supplies is passed along to us.
This whole concept is one that should be filed away so our county leaders can concentrate on fixing the roads and solving the ever-increasing problems of employee wages, retiree pensions and health care costs for both.
DON APPEBY
Santa Rosa
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/21/turned-off/