RATE PAYERS TAKEN FOR A RIDE

There has been a lot of controversy about the Combustible Turbines or Peakers slated to be placed primarily in the Southeast Sector. As often happens the City and County of San Francisco presupposed that San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) was best equipped to deal with this sensitive issue.

As often happens the PUBLIC is always left out of the equation. The SFPUC has a very bad track record when it comes to waste water. It has a very bad track record when it comes to clean water. The SFPUC has failed with Hetch Hechy and the Raker Act. In fact again and again sound minds have debated why not totally dismiss the SFPUC and go back to the City's Water Department which had better accountability.

Yesterday I attended a meeting with the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), SFPUC, and some ardent community organizations. I was there representing Environmental Justice Advocacy. Also present was San Francisco Department of the Environment.

The purpose of the meeting was to address Energy Consumption and Energy Savings in the short term and long term. Also, to address the specific jurisdiction from Ravenwood to San Francisco the area in question. We discussed about Transmission Lines. About Calibration. Models to project growth and savings in Energy Uses now and in the future.

As often happens in these meetings PG&E and CAISO throw out numbers which are different. In this day and age we have the technology to sit down, dialog, agree to disagree, but settle down and finalize numbers that will address the Energy Issue.

Right now the numbers are more a guesstimate as opposed to an estimate. Both PG&E and CAISO find is cumbersome to agree as to the jurisdiction, they find it difficult to agree to an exact manner how to do the calibration, and they are totally confused to choose a model that best suits both of them.

CAISO is a nonprofit organization. We the ratepayers have yet to approach the California State Attorney to order an investigation as to the exact purpose of CAISO. Also, to find out why those who maintain, repair, and replace the Transmission Lines and those who monitor it cannot find common ground.

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) oversees both CAISO and an entity like PG&E. Time and time again it a shame that CPUC and its Commissioners talk the talk but do not walk the walk. Governor Davis who has appointed some of these corrupt commissioners has NOT done the constituents of San Francisco and California - justice.

CPUC can mandate both PG&E and CAISO to look at local elements that go into any model to better serve the ratepayers. For example we have yet to investigate and analyze - the amount of leakage from poor Transmission Lines with the jurisdiction of the model. We have no analysis of small commercial business most of which use-antiquated equipment. We have yet to study and analyze Energy Consumption linked to Universities, Schools, Hospitals, the Financial District, the Presidio which get all its energy from the City's Grid, and so on and so forth.

We have the City's Department of the Environment always taking a short cut to serve the Financial District and work with entities that have a dubious work ethics by which I mean are not from the community and have come to the community to make money on the back of the communities who are not empowered.

We have a couple of consultants and companies who claim to save energy by using fake and convoluted methods in the Bayview and Hunters Point. Time to invite the Federal Bureau of Investigation to find out what is happening and why are the ratepayers always taken for a ride. This is all the more serious when these culprits have made millions of dollars and are laughing every day to the bank.

We have a District 10 Supervisor who recently addressed a letter to the CAISO the letter should have been addressed to CPUC. CPUC can order the nonprofit CAISO to meet certain requirements. It can order PG&E to cooperate. It can decide whether the Combustible Turbines require an Environmental Impact Report that is essential.

Again and again City Planing and our City officials fail to understand that an Environmental Impact Report is essential to understand and address adverse impacts. Right now we do not have an EIR and that is what we need before we decide to go any further.

The folks living on Potrero Hill with the exception of the Potrero Boosters who are still trying to figure out about the Combustible Turbines, are against the Combustible Turbines. The constituents living in Bayview Hunters Point want not only the old aging power toxic polluting Hunters Point plant shut down but want to have nothing to do Combustible Turbines.

In these time of sound technology and access to information we can and should address Energy and other connected issues in a sound manner. It takes good leaders with a vision to lead - and this we lack in our City. We have a corrupt Mayor and the sooner we get a good new Mayor the better.

Davis was recalled and hopefully he will learn his lesson. It is prudent to recall the District 10 Supervisor - good riddance of very bad rubbish. For too long have the constituents of Bayview and Hunters Point suffered at the hand of very corrupt selfish politicians.

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