California should deregulate distribution as well as production, let prices go to the roof 'till things are equalized, get rid of the state income tax so people will have the money to pay their bills, shut down the legislature for 11 months a year, and repeal all draconian and unconstitutional laws.

Hows that?

I am going to monitor this thread because I am in Alaska and am kind of removed from this whole situation. At this point in time it is my understanding the problem stemmed from terrible legislation (like any good legislation has been born there in decades).

Anyway I am watching.



Hunter out

Here’s my short plan.

Let the Ca power companies purchase long term contracts with their suppliers and allow them to raise rates to cover the monies currently owed to their suppliers.
Allow fastrack approval for building new power plants with proven designs.
Allow out of state power companies to sell power to Ca power companies but do not require them to.

THISISME

We're screwed!

I have no idea how to fix this mess.

Basicly, I expect the state to blackout during summer. I planning for riots and looting, because power will not be aviable.

But...I could be wrong.

Kalifornia should immediately have high explosive charges set on fault lines and detonated so that they may become their own  independent communist island. At such time as this should happen, we must immediately send hillary klinton to this island to be dictator and rosie odoughnut to begin setting up media for the island. All freedom loving kalifornians will be given sanction in the great free state of their choice. Those who show up at any kalifornia border without adequate proof that they are freedom loving patriots will be immediately deported back into the confines of the future communist island. Because of the threat of communism so close to our great nation all arms confiscated from lawful owners shall be returned to the rightful owners and the entire government of kalifornia be disarmed and all of these arms distributed evenly to gun owners within the free states.All trade shall be boycotted from this communist threat. At such time they will be allowed to deal w/ there own damn power problem.

Kali DEMOCRAT Gov Davis's election was well funded by the Kali power companies, who have made handsome profits from this so called crisis, and subsequent bailout.

MadMatt, I guess that’s why the largest utility company in the state has filed for bankruptcy and the number two provider has said they will also if things don’t change very soon.

THISISME

Just follow the money. In this case the money has been flowing back to the parent companies of the Kali utilities.

Of course, some of it went to pay for the generous bonuses that PG&E paid it's executives a few days before they went bankrupt.

A KSSR Resident's Solution -

Solution 1 -
 Allow those who care to do so to purchase solar/generator/wind power generators for private use, and detach from the tit of Professional Gouging and Embezzlement (PG&E)

Solution 2 -
 Seperate mainland KSSR from CONUS as previously described.
 Allow American expatriates to return to CONUS, bringing useful personal possessions and skills to use of general economy and contributing to the remaining public.
 Allow returning expatriates to recieve property of their choice substantially equal in value to property left behind in KSSR.  Special consideration given to veterans who remain loyal to solid American beliefs and ideals.
 List ALL environMENTALists and other sundry incompetent Liberals for incarceration in the new Kalifornia Wilderness or for summary termination.  

 Any questions?

FFZ

MadMatt, Almost every major corporation gives its top executives generous severance package when they are bought out or just before they go bankrupt.

The parent companies are taking large write-offs on their Ca operations and have not been paid for power that they have sold to Ca from their out of state power producing facilities.
These companies would be worth much more if it weren’t for the Ca debacle. Somebody ought to check their books because in their company conference calls they say Ca is costing them on every front.

I sure am glad that AZ is not a participant in the power grid system that other surrounding states are in or we could be forced to send power to Ca without being paid for it and our rates would go through the roof too.

THISISME      

An odd perspective or thought.

The movie Erin Brockobitch was all about the woman who helped sue the crap out of PG&E for a power plant that poisoned the water table. The damages awarded were history breaking.

Perhaps the power companies are getting payback for such efforts against them.

Just a thought.

[rail]Railgun....

Personnally I don't know what the answer is.  I do think that we should forgo any enviromental laws pertaining to powerplants so we can build them faster.  We might also want to look into restarting Rancho Seco Nuclear powerplant.  

But these and any other powerplants will take time to build.  Prices have to go up so people will be forced to conserve, which sucks because alot of people won't be able to afford higher prices.

There will be massive blackouts this summer when the temp hit 100+ degrees, which means many old people will die. I am seriously thinking of buying a generator.

Also, higher prices will affect new businesses entering California which will hurt California's and the US economy.

The one good thing about all of this is that Gov. Gray Davis political future is ruined, and many saw him as a potential 2004 Presidential canidate.

sgtar15

Maybe as an electrician I should go to Cali and hook up homes to generators I could make a killing like I did during Y2K.

One sure solution-  [b]Hydrogen Fuel Cells[/b].  Too bad it will be 3 years or so before they are available to the public.

You could really nail em with alternative energy type stuff other that a generator only.
Both of my neighbors are self sufficient with power, no PUD hookup at all. They use solar banks charging battery banks and only use generators for about a half hour a day.

The cost is kinda steep but the benefits in the long run can really payoff. Plus you can resell excess power to the PUD @ wholesale.

I have been thinking of doing this myself but my bill has YET to break a hundred bucks for a two month billing cycle.

[rail]Railgun....

[url]http://www.traceengineering.com/[/url]

This company sells top notch gear and it's right in my town!

Both of my neighbors use their stuff and swear by it.

[rail]Railgun....

Don't give her any more credit than she deserves. There is still no proof of this. In fact, the science points to the exact opposite.


Adam

In any event,  The enviro[I]Mental[/I] aspect of Hollyweird is touted heavily in this movie. They make out PG&E out as supreme bad guys and made them pay a heavy toll.

Perhaps the result is the bitch of paybacks involving everyone.

I said it was and odd thought or perspective.

Grain of salt stuff.


[rail]Railgun....

It is interesting to me that so many people believe that industry should be able to charge whatever the market will bear, until THEY are the one paying UNFAIR prices for gas or electricity.

In the FRG, when I was there, gas was appx $4.00 US for a gallon. Prices are higher in Britian now. Europe has cheap mass transit and fuel effecient cars. (think there is a connection?)

The US has had cheap energy for a long time. But nowadays it is much harder to get a power plant or a pipeline built. At the same time we are more energy dependent, computers, AC, and so on. On top of that many people drive SUV's or large cars. There is only so much energy that can be transmitted, whether by pipeline or as electricity. So if the actual available supply is finite we must live within our "energy means".

Having said that CA is a disaster. It has areas where any smog emitted will be trapped by mountains. It doesn't have enough water where the people are. Basically there are just too many people in the highly built up areas of the state. On top of that there's all type of "green" types who don't want power plants, pipelines, or refineries to be built. Every state should have a plan to take care of it's needs within its borders, energy, garbage etc. Or have a plan to take care of its needs regionally, like New England, but that should be a cooperative plan.

California needs more electricity and needs the means to fuel new plants. They should have planned ahead.

Kali made their bed, now they should have to sleep in it. NO ASSISTANCE OF ANY KIND!!! F*CK'em. Let their industry and business move to another state if they can't get enough power. Let the state go bankrupt. Let the residents fry in summer and shivver in winter. Afterall, they voted for the idiots that caused the problem. Let the rioting begin!!! Anyone leaving California should be allowed to do so, if they agree not to be involved with any environmental, political, or legislative activities involving the utilities in their new state of residence. The prospective new state has final say if the refugee is allowed to move there. Above all, NO FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.
Sorry Kali residents, you and your reps made the bed.... now get some sleep!

Kalifornians made their own power problems.  The legislature made it very difficult to build new power plants. They didn't want pollution in their backyard, prefered buying power from the other Western states.  The only soloution is for them to build new plants.  As I said in the begining they made the problem, now they get to reap the consequences!

I've wondering, lately, how the world's largest superpower all of a sudden has third world power problems. Something is wrong here.

Mostly bad legislation and greed.

Several years back, a friend of mine put up a deal to convert Rancho Seco from nuclear to natural gas. He arranged funding, so it would not have cost the state a dime.  The PUC and others poo poo'ed the idea, and it did not go very far.  He is in the natural gas business, and could have made the transition very easily.  They would have taken 2 years to get the gas pipeline in and turbines converted. Too late now.

Personally, I think they should take away all price caps and make people pay what it actually costs to make the juice flow.  It would suck at first, because of the power monopoly would gouge us.  Those NIMBY people and tree huggers would grow tired of the dark, and more power plants would be built.  I would like to go solar, but it is just not very economical, and my house would still need power from the man.  However, if electricity cost me $300 a month for the next 5 years, I might reconsider.

It would also be a good idea to have all of the politicians tried and executed.

 I'm not in KA so I don't know the problem except from the news.  But I do know that thier polititians oppose Bush's decisions that would help them with energy, so here is my solution.
 Any politians who opposes any kind of "harmful" energy should be forcable removed from office and sold as slaves to the power companies where they would run in treadmil type contractions that would supply energy to a small amount of land.  Everyone who b****es about the needing enviornmentaly safe energy would be relocated to this small amount of land where thy would be assured that only humans were being abused in their power production and not the land or animals.
 This should leave a fair amount of energy for the rest of the population.
 

My uncle who works for PG&E got a $30,000 BONUS 2 days before they declared bankruptcy. At least they care about their employees.