Energy Deregulation: Blame the Politicians
Re “Most of West in the Same Power Jam as California,” Feb. 26: No doubt there is blame for everyone in the electricity mess. It appears, though, that much of the blame must go to politicians who wrote the absurd regulations for deregulation in the hope that the system would fail and give them an excuse to take over the industry.
I have four questions for them:
Will transmission lines carry heavier current when they are state-owned?
Will alternators run at higher loads when they are state-owned?
Will power stations somehow be more environmentally acceptable if they are state-owned?
Granted that the politicians will get to control the electrical industry. What will the people get, other than a monstrously high tax bill?
DENZEL L. DYER
Rancho Palos Verdes
* The Times does a good job in describing what is happening in the current power shortage. But among all these details the two main causes of the situation do not stand out. These are: 1) The market economy failed to maintain California’s infrastructure; and 2) we are finding it very difficult to meet the needs of our rapidly burgeoning population. I think that we need to deal directly and forthrightly with these two problems if we are to get out of the mess that we are in and avoid similar difficulties in the future.
QUENTIN C. STODOLA
Redondo Beach
* I find it interesting that Bill Richardson, who presided over the Energy Department for three years--during which little if any leadership was exerted over this impending crisis by him and the Democratic leadership--now has critical things to say about the Bush administration (“This Is Not a Let-Them-Eat-Watts Situation,” Commentary, Feb. 26).
Does anyone remember Bill Clinton or Richardson or Al Gore saying that we have an impending crisis in California and the West if we don’t add more generating capacity? Isn’t it easy, after the fact, to indicate all of the things that should be done! Leadership is about looking ahead and facing tough issues before they are crises--and there sure was not much from the Washington Democratic leadership and Richardson.
RICHARD HARTL
La Canada