Utilities were not created as instuments of social policy

To the editor,

Does your house have lights? How about a refrigerator? Got an oven? Did you plug in that Christmas tree, the TV, DVD player, radio …etc? Most of us use electricity. That electricity has to come from some where. My guess is that Charlie Bass, Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte don’t generate much electricity, not even when they are campaigning. The question is why do they feel the need to raise our electric rates and reduce the availability of electricity by legislative caveat?

As of Dec. 21, with thanks to our Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and our Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, and our District 2 Congressman, Republican Charlie Bass, we now have national limits on the amount of mercury and other toxic pollutants that power plants can emit into our air. That may be a laudable goal. Meeting the goal may save lives. That still does not mean we need or want a utility rate hike or reduced availability of electric power.

The unfortunate side effect of passing this type of ill conceived, short sighted, ill advised legislation is limiting availability of products, reducing choice, and increasing cost. Has your income been growing faster than costs? Do you have more money at the end of the month to spend than you did three years ago? Do you understand why?

What has to happen if the power companies are forced to absorb the cost of major upgrades to more than 70-percent of total generating capacity? Exactly how is this different than raising your taxes and spending your money on what the political elite think is good for you. Forget the rationalizations. Stop far a minute and ask yourself what is going on here?

An opinion has been expressed that utilities should prioritize the new engineering and physical plant construction, and brings on new, needed employment. The reality is utility companies use the technology they don’t do the engineering research and development. They don’t manufacture the products. They are not likely to create new or additional jobs simply because you want them.

Thanks to our legislative delegation this opinion is law. Is there a difference between an opinion and a law? There should be. If people holding such an opinion feel strongly about the issue they should become part of the industries that provide the new engineering and construction so that they could contribute lower cost, more efficient products so that making the opinion a reality would become economically viable.

There in lies the rub. You see if there were ways to achieve all goals that should be achieved we would only have history books. There would be no need of dreams, the future or hope. Everything would have been done. We live in a real world where there are limits. Passing a law making gravity illegal will not make gravity disappear.

Unfortunately in the case of mandated standards such as this for which there is currently no economic return we can pass legislation that will raise cost. The changes, if and when implemented may mitigate some health consideration. We can be sure it will inhibit job growth and reduce industrial competitiveness in the market place still further. If the miscalculation is severe enough we may wind up with rolling brown outs and other such suboptimal outcomes.

I thank watchdog environmental groups that have put heart and soul into this work and their supporters because these are the same people who have sent our manufacturing base and our jobs overseas. Now it seems they want to ensure they will not come back. Do you understand that the rest of the world knows they don’t have the money to do this and even if they did they wouldn’t? But hey, the air we breathe is not the same air that the rest of the planet breathes.

The time for divisive class warfare rhetoric is past. The economic reality is we are getting poorer. The streets are getting meaner. It is time for pulling together to do those things that will produce jobs not cost jobs. It is about doing those things that put more money in people’s pockets. It is time to stop promising things which we cannot afford to deliver.

Utilities were not created as instruments of social policy. Utilities were created to generate and distribute power. They do that as economically as they can. Lower rates mean good things for consumers. A lower rate makes bringing your business here more attractive. More businesses mean more jobs. Why is this so hard to grasp? It is time for leadership to take us in a direction that is beneficial for the American people. Stop micro-managing and start leading.

Just my honest opinion.

Marc Abear

Meredith