Friends of Mill Valley

To the Marin County Supervisors:

I am the publisher of open4energy - an opinion leading blog on consumer and small business energy saving. I also live in Mill Valley

I attended the meeting to discuss the loan guarantee to MEA yesterday and was shocked. The conflict of interests by the Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, Mr Charles McGlashan, was quite astounding to me.

It is not for me to condemn his motives for I do not know what they are. But it is for me to question why this conflict of interests was left in place, and allowed to manifest itself into the vote yesterday. We now have a serious issue on our hands for despite a reasonable request for the chairman to stand aside from the vote, not only was this ignored, but the discussion was framed by him as being one of managing the risk from PG&E. Specifically "as being a bully seeking to protect its market".

Posted from the Marin IJ letters to the editor; 1-27-10

Susan Kirsch's observation that the Marin Energy Authority would drain our public coffers faster than an Enron executive was almost right.

Actually, MEA's counterparts in the green energy market will likely be ex-Enron "risk managers" and traders. The same tactics, strategies and "can't lose" market schemes they used to bankrupt PG&E in 2001 are still out there.

It isn't so much the county's coffers they are after; it is the county's credit rating. Once they have access to that, they'll get us involved in speculative financial deals for energy supply that will fill their pockets and obligate us to outrageous costs for years to come.

That is how it works.

The state is still paying off bad contracts it signed in 2002, and will continue to do so for another five years. There is a surcharge hidden in your PG&E bill that goes to the state for this purpose.

Posted from the Marin IJ letters to the editor; 1-27-10

Regarding the IJ's Jan. 21 publication of part of the Sacramento Bee's editorial, "PG&E making a power grab," I'm appalled that it expressed an opinion that putting on the ballot a U.S. citizen's right to vote is self serving.

My name and all Marin electric consumers names have been enrolled in something called the Marin Energy Authority without our prior knowledge or consent.

I'm of the opinion that it is not democratic to not ask one if he or she wants to be enrolled before being enrolled and justifying that by saying that afterward you may "opt out."

That's not freedom, it's authoritarian tyranny.

I understand this argument to willingly succumb to a government's authority and let it choose for one but as an old fashioned retired Jefferson Democrat I am not about to cede my freedom of choice to no man, government or the Marin Energy Authority.

Posted from the Marin IJ letters to the editor; 1-27-10

The letters for and against Marin Clean Energy keep coming.

Most of those opposed to MCE cite risk as a primary factor. I find it interesting that anyone in California, a state settled by risk takers, would rather do nothing than risk a little.

Taking a chance to find a better way to do something, so I've heard, is as American, and Californian, as it gets.

Jerry Belletto, San Rafael

Posted from the Marin IJ "Marin Voice," 1-26-10

By Cynthia Murray, President and CEO of NBLC

NORTH BAY Leadership Council's members are committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions and fighting global warming. Our members are installing solar panels, building new buildings that are LEED certified, conserving energy and water, reducing waste, recycling, and showing leadership on how to make business more sustainable.

The greening of business operations, supply chains, facilities and more is today's reality.

What our council's members don't support is bad public policy and a lack of fiscal responsibility.

Posted from the Marin IJ letters to the editor 1-23-10

As an engaged Mill Valley voter, I took the time to read the Marin County Civil Grand Jury's scathing report on "Marin Clean Energy: Pull the Plug."

I am stunned that there remains any debate after digesting this detailed 23-page review put together by an impartial panel of ordinary citizens.

Are we really supposed to suspend disbelief and trust that MEA can add a new layer of inexperienced bureaucracy, without adequate funding and expect it will be able to raise $500 million to build alternative energy facilities somewhere in Marin?

Having seen Mill Valley residents argue against a privately funded plan for housing for public school teachers in Mill Valley, I can tell you Marin defines NIMBY - regardless of how well-intentioned the project.

Ppsted from the Marin IJ letters to the editor 1-22-10

The Marin IJ's Jan. 19 editorial "MMWD should rethink loan offer to power authority" is a breath of fresh air.

The situation would be laughable, if the long-range implications weren't so financially risky.

How could MMWD, in response to successful conservation efforts, propose raising water rates nearly 10 percent at a time when it also allocated $100,000 toward start-up funds for Marin Energy Authority?

Now MMWD has been considering a sweetheart deal using ratepayer money to help fund an additional $1.6 million loan to MEA.

And don't forget that MMWD is moving forward with plans to construct a desalination plant that could cost $400 million.

That plant will require huge amounts of energy.

Posted from the Marin IJ letters to the editor 1-12-10

With San Anselmo finalizing its decision to join the organization known as Marin Energy Authority, it appears that "green power" has created a new bureaucracy.

MEA has a board of directors comprised of politicians. It has no funding and yet it thinks it can do a better job than PG&E. Members of our civil grand jury gave thoughtful consideration to the MEA proposal and advised against it.

If elected politicians want to start up a business, I think they need to resign before doing so and not use their public position to side-step good business practices and co-opt citizens into providing the capital through rates or bonds.

Posted from the Marin IJ letters to the editor 1-12-10

A story reported last week that the San Anselmo Town Council reaffirmed its commitment to join in the Marin Energy Authority. What might have been missed is that only two members of the council approved the commitment as one member offered a failed motion to hold off and two recused themselves because of relationships to PG&E. Hardly a majority.

What this means is that only two elected officials made the decision to financially commit the town's 12,500 residents. Somehow this does not really seem what democracy is all about, and why the decision could have been more fair had it been presented to the voters (who are the ratepayers) who will ultimately pay for the benefits or the failure of the venture.

While there is the highly advertised "opt out" option available, a good many of us recall how "easy" it was to opt out of the old RCA Record Club, or stop the flood of books from the Book of The Month Club.

The Marin Municipal Water District's plan to lend MEA $1.6 million dollars is an outrageously bad idea. It's enough that Marin County taxpayers ($840,000 in potential losses) and all Marin Clean Energy ratepayers will be at risk if MCE fails. We don't need to put every MMWD ratepayer at risk, too.

The MMWD Board needs to focus its financial resources on ensuring an adequate supply of quality water to all Marin County residents and businesses. To engage in high risk "vendor financing" of an unproven, startup venture with no track record of delivering a single kilowatt of power, is the epitome of fiscal irresponsibility.

The "annual savings" in energy costs promised by MCE are wide-eyed guesstimates. MCE's rate "guarantees" are, by their own admission, only good for one year. What happens after that? What happens when PG&E turns up the pricing competition and ratepayers start to opt out of MCE? How will MMWD's long term debt be repaid then?