CAISO Board of Governors.
CAISO BOARD OF GOVERNORS PROMISE HOPE
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It is always very fascinating to watch White Boys sit at the table and make small talk about important issues. The California Independent Systems Operator (CAISO) is a Non-Profit Organization. Today September 8, 2005 I attended the meeting held by the CAISO Board of Governors. The Chair of Board is Ken Wiseman and Yakout Mansour is the President and Chief Executive Officer.
Coordinating with more than 30 electricity control areas in the western interconnection, the California ISO manages delivery of nearly half the electricity traveling in the region. The California ISO serves as a guardian of open access to the Golden State's power grid. That makes it possible for some 80 plus energy companies to compete to bring the lowest cost electricity to consumers. We all remember when the California ISO failed miserably the last time around during the last energy crisis. We remember well the likes of Enron, William Energy Company and so many others that took advantage and fleeced Californians of millions of dollars. To this date the constituents pay for the poor judgment exhibited by California ISO. The California ISO states that its mission is to plan and operate a safe and reliable electric system. To provide open and non-discriminatory electric transmission services. To facilitate appropriate investment in electric transmission and generation infrastructure. The California ISO claims that they achieve the above through efficient wholesale markets. Use a responsive organization that fosters innovation, collaboration and transparency. All of this at a reasonable cost. The California ISO controls over 55,183 magawatts of plant capacity. Hourly it conducts over 15,000 market transactions. California ISO covers over 25,526 of circuit-miles of transmission lines. It serves over 30 million constituents. It has over $2.7 billion is annual billings. It annually delivers over 230 billion kilowatt-hours. The above numbers are impressive and the California ISO purports to deliver information that is transparent and built on trust. California ISO promises to continue to deliver power to the people and enlighten the decisions made within the industry by providing quality grid forecast, timely market data and accurate analysis. Since the California ISO opened in 1998 it has brought over 12,000 megawatts of new power plants on line. It has brought over $3.2 billion in transmission improvements to strengthen the gird. With over 600 megawatts in new wind and solar resources California ISO is trying its best to move in the right direction showcasing renewable power. The California ISO never buys or sells electricity itself, the California ISO acts as a clearinghouse for nearly 15,000 market transactions every hour. Since the fiasco of the last energy crisis the California ISO has developed methods to address the pit falls of what will always be remembered by Californians as the exploitation of those that trusted the California ISO. Today I reminded the California ISO-Board of Governors that the mistakes made during the fake Energy Crisis were not forgotten. That the ratepayers continue to pay for the expenses and the amount grows bigger every single year. In San Francisco we hope to close down the Hunters Point power plant by May 2006. We also hope to have the Jefferson-Martin Transmission Line in place. In 2007 we hope to have the underground Potrero-Hunters Point-Mission Transmission Line in place. We hope that Pacific Gas and Electric will revamp, repair, and replace the over 500 underground and those overhead transformers to help the flow of energy without blackouts. The same with its transmission lines. Right now all our transmission lines come into the City and County of San Francisco from the South. If the Big One hits us and hit us in the areas of these Transmission Lines we will be in big trouble. We ought to look to the Pittsburg-Potrero Cable Project as an alternative coming into the City from the North. We also should incorporate the latest technology developed by Sea Breeze and others to help negate Electro Magnetic Fields and help the smooth flow of electricity. The grid congestions that we all know can and should be addressed and California ISO keeps stating the various spots but it takes time to raise the money, get the permits, and put the transmission lines in operation. Today the California ISO has been very slow to address Environmental Issues. Further is has taken NO position in addressing Quality of Life issues. In the various statements that California ISO puts out it talks about trust and transparency but fails to understand the adverse impacts of old toxic spewing plants as part of its Reliability Must Run Program. Millions suffer and thousands die and this must stop. It behooves the California ISO and the Board of Governors to look at all energy issues with the extended Regional in mind. The time has come because of the natural disaster vulnerabilities to work as real partners. The time has come to put profits second and to look at Quality of Life issues and human concerns with a vision that embraces humanity. The White Boys sit around the table and make small talk pretending to understand and solve energy problems. Far from it these Bureaucrats have failed the constituents of California and think that they can conduct business as usual without impunity. Not so anymore. They listened to some constituents from Bayview Hunters Point advocates like Espanola Jackson. I was watching them with intent and kept my eye focused on their reaction to issues that seem to them very foreign. I looked them in the eye and saw that they tried to keep eye contact as I spoke but from time to time it was a cause too deep for them to comprehend. The California ISO-Board of Governors I hope will set a date and shut down the Hunters Point power plant in May, 2006. On another level I hope they permit the project managers of the Pittsburg-Potrero Cable Project to go forward. It should permit Sea Breeze to contribute its technology as part of on going project and work with Pacific Gas and Electric as an innovative project that brings the best minds to the fore. Our children are dying in the Southeast and we do not want any more Combustion Turbines burning dirty fossil fuel. We want mitigation and measures put in place to help our infants, our youth, and contribute to Quality of Life issues. We want a stop to all Racism and the adverse affects of pollution that harms mostly people of color. We do not trust folks like Sophie Maxwell the most inept, ignorant, and very arrogant woman that purports to represent the people of District 10 and does not. We do not trust Susan Leal the Manager from San Francisco Public Utilities Commission who is for the toxic spewing 3 Combustion Turbines. Her cronies Barbara Hale and Karen Kubick. The SF Health Department has not been for the constituents to address health issues in the Southeast Sector. One of its employees Karen Pierce continues to undermine the efforts of advocates that are fighting those that pollute. We have other Community Based Organization like Literacy for Environmental Justice, Steve Moss, Olin Webb that continue to speak with fork tongues. They are interested in grant money and will undermine the interests of the community. We need more educated folks to walk the walk and less folks that sellout the community and talk the talk. |
