Posted on 04/18/2002 1:20:31 PM PDT by Frohickey
Edited on 05/07/2004 5:37:45 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Blackouts, higher gas costs and fuel shortages may hit Arizonans, thanks to California.
Federal energy regulators are being urged to approve a plan to reduce the amount of natural gas Arizona's largest users get from the El Paso Natural Gas pipeline.
(Excerpt) Read more at tucsoncitizen.com ...
Oh wait. They've shredded the US Constitution already. Energy contracts are nothing compared to that.
They need more "natural gas" let them eat beans and make their own.
The government doesn't get very involved in the food distribution business, and the free market has worked it out so that everyone in the country has plenty of food on the supermarket shelves.
Government needs to butt out of the energy business, too. Of course, Governor Gray Davis of California has the completely opposite viewpoint, and look where that's gotten him.
If Arizona has higher gas prices, and less availability, maybe fewer Californians will move to Arizona.
I'd be willing to adjust my winter thermostat, and wear warmer clothes for that goal.
Yes indeed.
Absolutely.
Tim
Fewer from both coasts. Fewer from the midwest. Damn, in another moment I'll thank the dorks doin' this!
CA chose to go another way. They deliberately shutdown down two perfectly good nuclear units (Rancho Seco and SONGS-1) to satisfy the wackos, now they're paying the price in shortages and high prices. Well, they made their bed, so let them lie in it. And sweat. And rot.
Not as far as this "Green" is concerned.
The obvious solution to Kalifornia's quandry is Nuclear Desalination
But that's OK, using it doesn't depend on El Paso Natural Gas. So turn that puppy up, and like you say, don't sell power out of state....well, only at one helluva' mark up?
The problem is that central and northern Arizona are heavily heated in winter time by El Paso Natural Gas...a monopoly gift from our politicians. The cost to convert a home to electric heat is huge...monthly budget even worse. Converting to fuel oil, propane, coal, eh not workable for most.
Personally, I'd like to see our southern border opened for Mexico (damn few envirodorks there) to sell natural gas and/or nuke electric straight north to Arizona. 'Course the screams from lobbyists etc will be heard for miles but it is a long-term solution. It'd work for me.
Tim
But I do like the idea of telling relocating folks that in Arizona they'll freeze in the winter, fry in the summer, the rampaging elk herds will rape their children, wild injuns will shoot flaming arrows into their cell phone (or from their cell phone) and the Diamondbacks are really cosmetically enhanced illegal aliens from Mexico and will be deported by the Yankees.
Damn, can't type, time to go downstairs to happy hour and flirt with the barbroads.
Tim
Huh? I didn't say anything about CA exporting electricity. It is AZ exporting power from Palo Verde that I was referring to.
California is a net importer of electricity.
Yes, I know, and if they are making a grab for out-of-state resources, then those states should turn it around on them. It makes sense that if AZ built the plants and CA didn't or was shutting them down for no reason, they should have to live with that decision.
This is because the NIMBYs have stopped construction of power plants for the last 20 years. When you have to mandate evironmental impact reports, and go through so many hoops to build something in your land, you would just cut your losses and build elsewhere.
I know that. I did some work for Diablo Canyon on their seismic upgrades. The NIMBYs kept that plant, fully completed and 100% operational and completely safe, sitting idle for 10 years after it was completed. Now its an asset in an energy-poor state. And still the wackos hammer away at it. They don't care that losing its output would make a bad situation worse, they just want to push their anti-nuke kook agenda.
But there are units out there that are extending their licenses and operating life. SONGS-1 would have been a good candidate for that. But I think the operator saw the handwriting on the wall. The wackos made it clear that they would fight tooth and nail to keep that from happening, so the owners said to h*ll with it. I don't blame them on that score. Let the bustards sweat in the dark.
Yep. Know that. Sure do. Been there, many times. That is my point. APS built the plant. Its the King Kong of steam electric plants, putting more MW-hrs out on the lines every year than any other facility. Let APS keep that capacity at home, as much as possible. Tell the wackos in CA to heat their yogurt and hot tubs with solar or wind, especially at night when the wind isn't blowing.
On the NG issue, I don't know, maybe use Palo Verde's output to displace some gas-fired generation in AZ, and use that gas to send to the folks up north in winter. I'm not sure that will meet their needs, but it will send a message to the wackos in CA that perhaps they shouldn't be so shortsighted, throwing away perfectly good capacity on a whim and expecting no consequences.
Should be interesting to see what is said.
Davis has California well on the way to being supplied by power plants along our borders !
No sane Businessman will build within the borders of California.
Davis is a clingon with no conscious. On top of that he is plug ugly.
The ones I'm familiar with burn either Coal or Uranium.
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