Cap & Tax for North Little Rock (ICLEI Mayor Pat Hayes forces "smart grid")

Some more video of the North Little Rock Council Meeting and the decision of Ward 3.

On January 11th, the North Little Rock City Council approved R10-01, the Integrated Resource Plan to be implemented immediately. A presentation was made by Mike Russ of the North Little Rock Electric Department. The presentation was made quickly and had no handouts for the public, but there were slides of their plan shown at the meeting. The plan involves creating a "smart grid" adding "smart meters" "programs to control powerload", and ways NLR can "reduce it's carbon footprint". There was no mention of how much the integrated plan would cost, how much consumers would initially pay, or if consumers had the option of not being part of a "smart grid" Pictures of those slides are available on the slideshow.

Another man from GDS , the company that's been given the contract to implement the IRP, spoke in support of the plan. The NLR City Council voted unanimous in support of R10-01. GDS is an energy company that specializes in alternative fuels. I couldn't't find much about GDS, including what GDS stands for. I don't know how much stimulus money or Federal funds they receive or if any members of GDS are in the government. GDS is a company hoping to benefit from environmental extremism actions such as the Cap & Tax legislation before the U.S. Senate. From their website, the company claims that, "staff are certified offset verifiers for energy efficiency projects under the CCX (Chicago Climate Exchange). Their main website is here

At the North Little Rock City Council Meeting of January 25th, I made the following statement during public presentations. Video first

"I'm here to talk about R10-01, the integrated Resource Plan. The plan includes an effort to stop this thing called man-made global warming by reducing green house gases (GHG). I, along with most Americans & most people around the world have rejected the idea of man-made global warming. The Global Warming Conference in Copenhagen was a failure, Cap & Trade has been halted in the U.S. Senate, & the one person from Arkansas who voted for Cap & Tax, Vic Snyder has been forced into early retirement. The climate-gate emails show that man-made global warming is a scam.

I don't think most North Little Rock residents want a smart meter, or buy carbon credits, or reporting to some international climate group. Man's carbon footprint is 3.27% and I shouldn't't be forced to spend a dime to reduce it. I urge the council to stop the integrated plan & only accept a plan that has nothing to do with reducing carbon."

Remember - Pat Hayes is the one who pushed this past year for a law making it a crime to honk at a bicycle rider. No mention at all of what to do about the bicycles that cut cars off, run stop signs, don’t look out and want the full right-of-way all the time.

Just the evil automobile drivers.

Hayes is a major liberal - though Socialist is a more accurate title. But he is supported by a political machine nearly as corrupt as Chicago - or so it looks to this newcomer.

Here is my email and the one response I have received back (only edits is to my email and my name - copy/pasted):

Mr B...............
Thank you for your email . it was my understanding that because of the time frame of the election that we had to proceed in the manner we did. as you know there will be and election in just a few months.please call me on the other issue. Sincerely sam Baggett 758-1551

From: Michael B..... [mailto:xxxxxxxx@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, February 06, 2010 11:20 AM
To: Mayor Patrick Hays
Cc: Baggett, Sam; Phillips, Jimmy
Subject: Betrayed by our own city government

Mr. Hays, Baggett, and Phillips,

I am writing today in utter disgust. I have been a resident of North Little Rock for all of 17 months and already have learned that we cannot trust our own city government.

I read this morning of the council’s decision, with the “guidance” of Mayor Hays, to immediately begin installing “smart meters” to create a so-called “smart-grid” in an effort to make the city more “green”. One could equate this decision to our own little municipal version of the Federal “Cap & Trade” bill that is nothing more than a massive power grab.

And this decision, tied in with a company called “GDS” (which I have yet to be able to find any real tangible information on who this company is) all to essentially trade in “carbon credits” - the giant lie partially engineered by Al Gore and his false religion of Anthropomorphic Global Warming (ok - now called Climate Changes, since the data supporting Warming has been shown to be mostly fraudulent or manipulated).

What disappoints me the most is that 100% of the elected officers of North Little Rock have either fallen for this fraud, have been bought at a price, or have chosen to ignore reality.

Why was there no mention of the cost that will be passed on to consumers?

Who controls the programming of these “smart meters”? If the City of North Little Rock or the Electric Department are responsible - what criteria will be used? Why should anyone have say on how much electricity I use? I am paying for it. It should be my choice if I want my house to be 65 degrees in the Summer, and 75 in the Winter, if I so choose and pay my bill every month.

I will not diverge this email into a comprehensive argument over climate change. Suffice it to say that principled scientists who actually compare data on an even basis (apples to apples), are nearly unanimous in dispelling the climate change fraud. The earth’s history also shows far more dramatic temperature swings when mankind’s “carbon footprint” was non-existent.

Had this action of the council been put to a public vote, I think we know what the result would have been. Even better, had there been a vote of the rate paying customers who will be saddled with the cost, and the loss of freedom and control of our own energy use - this would have failed miserably.

Again, I am utterly disgusted with this decision. Had I known that this was even being discussed, I most certainly would have been present at the meeting to voice my opposition, as would many others. But that is not what those “in power” want.

Even more frustrating - and nothing against Mr. Phillips, but why did the public not get a voice at all in the person appointed to replace Gaines on the Council? There should have been an opportunity for public comment prior to the nomination and vote for Mr. Phillips.

Michael B.................
North Little Rock Resident of Ward 3

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