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DEL.ICIO.USNow for the conservative argument against the Georgia Power bill
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you are a Georgia Power lobbyist, or represent some other utility, you can often offset criticism of your cause by characterizing it as the carping of left-wing enviros or misguided consumer heroes.
Witness Clark Howard.
This mode of defense goes down well with a Republican-minded Legislature that is willing, often eager, to give business the benefit of the doubt.
But when your legislation is attacked from the right — that’s when you need to worry.
Late Wednesday, Erick Erickson of the Macon-based but nationally read Redstate.com sent out a missive, urging his Georgia followers to ring up their state lawmakers and shoot down S.B. 31, the Georgia Power bill that would permit the utility to bill ratepayers in advance of the construction of two new nuclear units.
Wrote Erickson:
“We should all be fans of nuclear energy. I am for sure.
“But I am deeply concerned that our state legislature is so committed to nuclear energy that they are willing to advance terrible legislation to make it happen.
“Right now, Senate Bill 31 is before the State House. The bill would destroy every incentive Georgia Power has to keep costs down on new nuclear power plant construction and would end all incentives to mitigate problems related to the construction.
“It would do this by requiring Georgia Power customers to pay for the plant now, instead of the company fronting the money. In effect, Georgia Power customers would be forced into buying a car we had no say in choosing before it’s even put together, and would have to pay all the extra charges for overruns too. ”
Erickson linked readers to a site on Human Events, the national conservative web site, and a ZIP code sorting program that will refer the curious to their proper state lawmaker.
The bill has passed the Senate and had its first House subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.
Small tutorial on Erickson: He has ambitions of employing the Internet on the conservative side as the Daily Kos does for liberals — by urging his readers to put down their keyboards and pick up their telephones.
So S.B. 31 could make an interesting test case for the web site.
Comments
By Asleep at the wheel
February 20, 2009 7:07 AM | Link to this
Under the bill, only 1/3 of the 2+ billion that customers would have to pre-pay would be for interest on debt. The other 2/3s would be for profit for shareholders and for taxes on that profit. Even if the project is delayed and the price tag goes up, the profits keep rolling in. Not much incentive to mind the store.